Don't Take Anything For Granted
by KawaiiScorpio
Summary: In the beginning, Jareth told Sarah that if she could solve the Labyrinth in 13 hours, Toby would be free to return home. But at what point exactly did he ever tell Sarah that she could go home?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing, to my dismay. Only the story in which I wreak havoc in our favorite characters lives. Muah! They'll thank me for it later! I also do not own the way the goblins speak, which I am borrowing from The Tenth Kingdom, which belongs to David Carson and Herbert Wise.

The avatar picture of Jareth and Sarah is created by the very talented kiarajareth from Deviantart. If you are a Jareth + Sarah fan, I highly recommend her. You won't be sorry ;)

This is my first shot at a Labyrinth fic. And I apologize in advance for any actiony parts of my story. Those scenes are my weak point, and I'm never truly satisfied with them. In any case, I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it. Please bear with me in later chapters, as I started this fic on a whim and have no real idea where I want this story to go or where it may end up, so updates might be a little irregular. So bear with me as I try my best. Thanks for reading ^-^

Sarah sighed wearily as she unlocked the door to her home and walked in, throwing her keys down on the table and slumping into the nearest chair. It had been a hard day. It had only been nearly 2 years since she had gotten herself a job as an aide at the local elementary school, helping the grade 4 kids if they struggled or got a bit behind work. She had always wanted to become a teacher, and this was one step closer to her goals. But today, everything that could have gone wrong, did.

Bullies seemed to have come out of their shells completely and were harassing and beating up the smaller kids, and several times Sarah had to intervene and march two or three kids at once down to the principals office. Then she had stayed late to help three students with their homework, two of which had been sick for three weeks and had gotten way behind. On top of that, she had missed lunch because she had errands to run, and the school's coffee machine had broken down. To say the least, Sarah's nerves were frazzled and nearly fried completely by the time she got to go home to her cozy little apartment.

Absently, she let her eyes wander the apartment she had gotten 4 years ago. Most of the stuff animals that had filled her room as a teenager had been packed and put into storage, save for a couple that had a special place in her room, and a few that she had given to Toby. Her soft white walls were now decorated with framed pictures of her family, and a few knick knacks that were scattered about the walls on tasteful and imaginative shelves. There was a plush white carpet that sat on the floor of her living room, and square ceramic tiles in the rest of her apartment that were almost pink-ish color.

Her furniture consisted of a dark chestnut brown couch that looked like a bed mattress that curved up slightly at the ends, with two creamy colored large cushions as seats, two medium sized cushions as arm rests, and five medium sized cushions as back rests, toned in darker shades of brown and cream. A large and rather comfortable lounging chair sat adjacent to her sofa, and Sarah had spent many hours getting lost in a good book in its soft and ample cushions. A nice oak coffee table sat in front of her sofa, and a smaller matching oak table sat in between her couch and chair.

These pieces of furniture were not really in Sarah's taste, as she preferred the more simple and classic things. But her father and step-mother had bought them as house warming gifts, and so she could not turn them down. Sometimes she would forget that these things were hers, and she did not have to treat them as delicately as she would a guests home. If she wanted to hop over the back of the couch as a means to sit on her couch, it was definatley within her rights as owner of the property to do so. And perhaps one day she really would follow through on such urges. But as it was she had to keep reminding herself that such things were most unbecoming of an adult, a young adult maybe, but an adult nonetheless.

The only piece of furniture that she had bought herself, and had also splurged on, was her new bed. Toby had been growing like a weed and was quickly getting to big to fit comfortably in his bed, to the point where his feet were hanging off the edge. So Sarah had donated her bed to Toby, and had ended up buying herself a brand spanking new bed that she had her eye on for the past six months. The moment she had set eyes on it while she had been flipping through a store's flyer, she had fallen in love with it. She had fallen even harder when she went to see it with her own eyes.

It was a four poster bed that just screamed of grandeur and serenity. The black posters were carved in a way that almost looked haphazard, and Sarah found it to be very creative and original. The bed held a queen sized mattress, which like the drapes and blankets, Sarah had to purchase seperatley. In the end she decided some simple white airy drapes that had cherry blossoms patterns sewn into it, and some dark blue sheets with an equally dark blue comforter with a couple different butterfly patterns.

Getting it home was a bit of a task. Organizing all the pieces took effort. Assembly had been a bitch. But in the end, taking a step back to admire her handy work, Sarah was very pleased. The whole atmosphere in her room had changed. It was no longer just a room for sleeping, now it was a haven for her to come rest her weary mind and body, a place that spoke of relaxation. The mattress was soft yet firm, and curled and formed to Sarah's body which relieved stress off of her spine, and more often than not, she found herself falling asleep more quickly and waking up refreshed.

Her stomach suddenly rumbled loudly, as if a reminder that it was empty and it demanded to be filled or the consequences would be dire. Defeated, she sighed and pushed herself onto weary muscles and forced her body over to her refrigerator. She scanned her shelves and could nearly feel the vein popping on her brow. Of course there wasn't anything she could just grab, heat and eat. Of course she would have to spend at least an hour cooking if she wanted something nourishing to eat.

"Screw that" she said as she almost slammed the door shut, "my day might not have been an easy one, but the rest of my night is going to be nothing but relaxation!"

She grabbed her phone book, flipped to a dog-eared page, and dialed the number to her favorite Chinese restaurant. She sat the phone back down in its cradle with a smile creeping its way onto her face. Things were finally looking up. In the thirty minutes it took for her food to arrive, she took a bath filled with coconut scented bubbles. The hot water instantly eased her tension, and she felt her worries from the day slip away and drown in the soapy water.

She had just pulled a baggy shirt over her head when she heard knocking on her door. Her stomach rumbled impatiently as she padded her way to the door, paid the man, and pretty much shut the door in his face. She slipped her favorite movie into her DVD machine, settled herself comfortably on her sofa and focused solely on her meal and the dancing images in front of her. No more school. No more kids. No more homework. No more worries.

She was falling. Very slowly her body drifted downwards, while pieces of broken stone twirled around her body in mid-air. Finally, her feet made contact with what she hoped was solid ground. Somewhat dazed by the experience she took the opportunity to glance around her surroundings, which appeared to be nothing more than a chunk of rock floating in space. She was curiously captivated by the sight, until she felt another presence in the room. The little hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention as she whirled around to come face to face with a person walking leisurely out of the shadows to confront her, a very powerful and dangerous aura cloaking the individual.

'Jareth, the Goblin King' Sarah realized, entranced by his slow walk towards her. He was dressed in all white, and looked every bit as regal as any king should. And every step he took was intentional, calculated, and filled with a purpose. Each step also radiated with power, and it made her shiver. But she wouldn't back down and run away with her tail between her legs. She also had a purpose. She needed to rescue Toby. This was it. The final confrontation. The battle of wills. And Sarah was determined not to loose.

"Give me the child" she spoke with far more courage than she currently felt. Her eyes locked onto his as he continued to advance on her.

"Sarah, beware" he warned, circling around her, "I have been generous up until now, but I can be cruel."

"Generous?" she echoed incredulously, cocking her head to one side, "what have you done that was generous?"

"Everything!" he barked, starting to circle around her as he spoke. "Everything you have asked for, I have done. You asked that the child be taken, I took him. You cowered before me; I was frightening. I have re-ordered time. I have turned the world upside down! And I have done it all for you!" His eyes softened as he gazed into the emerald depths of her eyes. "I'm exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Isn't that generous?"

Sarah felt a crack in her resolve at her words. He had done all these things? For her? Guilt washed over her, and at this moment, she almost felt as if she should take a step back, which would declare the Goblin King the victor. No! She couldn't let him win! If it were only herself at stake here, perhaps she would have yielded to the handsome king. But she wasn't. Toby was at stake. And she would not loose to him! Not after making such a careless wish that she had not even meant to make. She needed to right these wrongs, and bury whatever other feelings she had deep inside of herself.

"Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered, "she spoke, walking towards Jareth and forcing him back, "I have fought my way here to the castle, beyond the Goblin City."

She kept her voice even and her steps firm, forcing him down a few stairs as she continued to speak the lines she had rehearsed so often in the park back home.

"For my will is as strong as yours, and my.."

"Stop!" Jareth interrupted, holding a defensive hand out infront of him. "Wait."

Her eyes never left his as he held out a hand infront of him, a crystal ball materializing in his nimble fingers.

"Look Sarah. Look what I'm offering you. Your dreams."

He held the crystal ball out in front of him, offering it to her. He seemed almost desperate, his eyes pleading with hers. For a split second, Sarah looked into the glossy depths of the crystal, the shimmering uncertainties that lay within it treacherous. But she would not be deterred.

"And my kingdom as great" she continued in the same monotone voice, once more advancing towards him.

"I ask for so little, just let me rule you and you can have everything that you want."

Sarah hesitated. For one brief moment, Jareth seemed to brighten, thinking that Sarah had at last considered his request and held the crystal ball out to her once more.

"And my kingdom as great..." she repeated, eyebrows knit together in deep concentration. "Damn" she spat, "I can never remember that line."

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave" Jareth said softly.

Sarah glanced back at him, and was surprised by the emotions she saw floating just behind his eyes. Hope. Fear. Love? But was it true? Was he telling her the honest truth? Were those looks in his eyes sincere? Or just another trick to make her forget all about her baby brother and force her to loose to him. Sarah became confused and afraid at the feelings that he was causing her to experience, especially at such an inopportune moment.

She had been viewing Jareth as the evil one in this fantasy story, and her as the courageous heroine who risked her life to save someone that she dearly loved from the grasp of her adversary. It wasn't until he mentioned it that forced her to re-think her image of him. She asked that the child be taken. And so, only doing what he had been asked, he took him. He hadn't stolen him from her at all. She had given him permission. Toby being taken was not his fault, it was hers.

The cold hard truth slapped Sarah hard in the face. All of this mess, this whole thing, was entirely her own fault. The Goblin King was not the bad guy, she was. Unshed tears sparkled behind her eyes, but she forced them back. She was still in the presence of Jareth, after all, who looked quite different bathed in the light that she now saw. Her heart sped up as she viewed him, as if for the first time. He was a regal figure that demanded respect and vibrated with power, and he was also quite handsome, a fact that Sarah had chosen to ignore on the basis of he was supposed to be the bad guy. It was the looks in his eyes that was nearly her undoing. She had known she was attracted to this man since the moment she had seen him in Toby's bedroom, but the urgency of the situation had taken over everything else. She knew she had feelings for this man, that much had become abundantly clear when she had danced with him in the magical ballroom, to what extent though, she did not know.

'You could say 'yes', you know? Accept the crystal ball, your dreams, and this man. See where this rabbit hole goes' her mind suggested, and Sarah could nearly feel the grin behind the words.

True. She could accept it. The crystal, the man, this world, and all that went along with it. This was an adventure of a lifetime, and even though she had been partly frightened by the whole experience, she could not deny that she had fun as well. And she was grateful for the lessons she had learned while traipsing her way around the labyrinth, and for all the friends she had made on her journey as well. This place had forced her to grow up and stop being such a self centered, whiny little brat. And she was grateful. Who knew what other lessons were left to teach her here, in this magically infused land of goblins and fairy's and talking doorknobs and red dancing creatures with the ability to take off their heads.

She wanted to stay. She wanted to accept, she realized. But she couldn't. She had come all this way, for Toby. If she gave in now and accepted the Goblin King's offer, would he force Toby to stay as well?

She looked deep within his beautifully mismatched eyes, one green and the other gold. Eyes so full of hope, begging her to accept his offer. But she could not do it. Toby did not deserve this. He did not deserve to be ripped away from his parents like this. None of this was his fault, it was all her fault. Regardless of her own feelings, Sarah could not take the chance of Toby not being able to return to the mortal world up above. She nearly regretted not being a selfish child, to take what she wanted with no regard for other people's feelings.

"You have no power over me" she said at last, gazing over the crystal ball and into Jareth's eyes.

She wished she hadn't. Before her eyes, she saw Jareth's heart break, and felt her own break as well.

Suddenly the chiming of clocks were going off all around her, and she watched in slow motion as Jareth flung the crystal ball up into the air. Without thinking, she reached out to catch the falling orb, only to have it pop like a bubble on the tips of her fingers. His words echoed in her head, "what's said is said." She knew there was no going back.

"JARETH!" Sarah screamed, shooting straight up out of her bed and the momentum sending her sprawling onto the cool floor below. Her lungs gasped hungrily for breath as she lay dazed on the floor, it almost felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach and driven all the air from her lungs. Her heart was beating so rapidly that she thought it might break right through her ribcage, and sweat poured off of her and she hastily wiped it from her eyes several times.

"That dream again..." she rasped, holding a shaky hand to her chest and willing herself to calm down.

At least twice a week since the incident six years ago, she would have that dream. The memories of the final showdown between herself and the Goblin King. The only evidence that the journey had happened at all.

Suddenly, she slapped her hands over her mouth, realizing something very important, and foolish. She had said his name out loud. Called for him. Her eyes flew around her room, to every dark corner, every nook and cranny, searching. Would he appear, just as he had that stormy night all those years ago when she had called out to him? If it was one thing that Sarah had learned from her experience in the labyrinth, it was that words had power, and names had even more power.

She sat in complete silence as she continued to scan her room, hearing only the thudding of her heart in her chest. Five minutes that felt like forever passed, and the only thing that had moved was a branch outside of her window from a slight breeze outside. Figuring it was safe she let out the breath she had been holding in and tried to calm her nerves, rising to sit on the edge of her bed she couldn't help but replay the dreams sequence of events. She went from anxiety to depression in what felt like record breaking time.

Those eyes. Those hauntingly beautiful mismatched eyes of the goblin king, sometimes she wished she could just forget them altogether. She remembered the look of his heart breaking in his eyes as she spoke those six little words that would seal her fate and return her to the normal world above, a world completely devoid of magic. She sighed. Where exactly were these thoughts getting her? Nowhere. That's where. Jareth and his labyrinth were both in the Underground, and they both probably wanted nothing more to do with the troublesome little girl who defeated it and broke its kings heart.

"Well, sitting here brooding over the past isn't going to give me anything but an upset stomach. What I need is a nice hot, relaxing cup of tea to settle my nerves and help me get back to sleep" she mumbled to herself, dragging her body up and walking out of her bedroom and into the kitchen.

The moment she had walked out of her bedroom, the door to her closet inched its way open with the tiniest 'creak' of its hinges, allowing six tiny eyes to peer out through the crack.

"She called for the master, she did!" a tiny voice squeaked happily, it's beady eyes shining with delight.

"Shall we take her to him?" a second and equally excited voice asked.

"No" a third, more serious, voice spoke up, "it was just a dream, it was. She did not mean to call his name. And she did not say her right words."

"Awwh!" the other two voices whined

"But the master would be happy to see her! He misses her, he does!"

"Yes, yes! Master would be pleased if we brought lady to him! She makes a nicey nice present!"

"But would be master be pleased if she was taken without his orders, or against her will?" the other one asked, one bushy eyebrow raised as he eyed his two simple minded companions.

The other two voices were silent.

"Soon, the time will come when we will take her to master. Until then, we follow master's orders to keep an eye on her."

"Yes yes, soon! Soon master will see his lady!" the voices squealed with delight.

"Ssh! Lady comes back to bed now! Hush up!"

The closet door closed with a barley audible 'click', and went unheard to Sarah's ears. Three pint-sized little figures watched as Sarah crawled back into her bed groggily and pulled her comforter up to her chin, mumbling something about stupid goblin kings, smelly bogs and LSD laced peaches before nodding off into blissful slumber.

"Yes, soon we will take her to the castle beyond the goblin city, and to master" the voices cackled mischievously.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh dear God, Sarah! You look like the walking dead!" a shrill voice cried.

Sarah winced. "Gee, thanks Raleigh. I feel so much better now" Sarah drawled sarcastically, stepping to the side to let the woman into her home.

Raleigh, while not known for her subtly, was known for her loyalty and her seeminly never ending supply of energy. She stood 5'6 with long blonde tresses that framed her porcelain features, and were lit by her bright blue eyes. Her body was curvy in all the right places, and her voice, when she was not shreiking, was soft and warm. She looked like an average young woman with interests in shopping, clothing, makeup and jewelry. It was a shocking surprise, to say the least, when Sarah discovered the real Raleigh.

Although she looked like an elegant woman, Raleigh was more of a tomboy than Sarah had been. She loved watching football and hockey, and nothing pleased her palate more than a bowl full of cheesy nacho's and a cold beer. She also had no qualms about climbing over a fence, or into the nearest tree, simply because the action pleased her. It made her feel free, she had explained to Sarah one day, to go outside the 'box' that people had created for women. Women who climbed tree's were looked at more so as a 'tomboy' rather than a woman, and it angered Raleigh, so she set out to prove that one could look like a delicate little butterfly and be tough as well.

The blonde woman shrugged. "Well, it's true. Got caught up in a good book again, or some hottie keep you up all night" she winked.

'Technically speaking, some hottie did keep you awake all night' Sarah's mind said, giggling with girlish delight.

Sarah snorted. "Neither. Just had a bad dream and had difficulty falling back asleep. That's all."

"Drat, and here I thought some guy finally managed to sweep you off your feet."

"I don't need a guy in my life, especially not right now. How many times have we had this conversation?"

"About as many times as we've had the conversation where I tell you that hiding yourself from the opposite sex is not healthy."

"I'm not hiding. I'm busy. There's a difference."

It was Raleigh's turn to snort. "Mhmm. Sure. Whatever you say, hon."

Sarah sighed. "Are we going to stand around and have the same old argument for long? Because if so, could we argue and walk at the same time? Otherwise we'll be late picking up Toby and getting to the mall in time for lunch."

Raleigh grinned. "Okay okay, I'll drop the subject, for now. But sooner or later you're bound to see that logic is clearly on my side, and you'll be thanking me."

"Yah, whatever" Sarah laughed as she grabbed her long black jacket and pushed Raleigh out the front door.

"Sarah, oh how wonderful to see you dear. And Raleigh, you too. Please, come in. Toby will be ready for you shortly."

Sarah smiled and thanked Irene as she walked in the front door of her old home, removing her boots and jacket and putting them in their apporpriate spots before following the older woman into the dining room.

It still surprised her to this day how drastically things had changed between herself and her step-mother, as well as herself and Toby. After the incident six years ago, things just finally clicked into place and the three of them had finally started to get along. They acted like a family now instead of arch enemies and Sarah realized just how much she treasured the two of them, and the fact that she was her step-mother, and he her half-brother never again invaded her mind because now it just didn't matter.

'Yeah, it's amazing what a trip to the Labyrinth after wishing your baby brother away to a very handsome Goblin King can do to a person' Sarah's mind snickered at her.

She frowned. Though she was forever grateful to the Labyrinth and its king for all that it had done for her, she still didn't like to remember certain parts. Like, nearly falling into the bog of eternal stench, for instance. Or the part where she and Hoggle almost got run over by the cleaners in the underground tunnel.

'Or the part where you broke Jareth's heart, thereby winning Toby back' her mind sneered.

Now she was angry.

'Shut up! I did what I had to do to bring Toby back home. Besides, I doubt that a mere human girl could ever get under the skin of that pompous ass! He's a trickster! He would have done anything to stop me from getting Toby back. He made Hoggle give me that drugged peach and tried to seduce me into completley forgetting about Toby, and probably only until the 13 hours were up. And then what?! Toby would have become a goblin! And probably would have been treated very poorly just to spite me! And God only knows what he would have done to me! But I won! End of story! Now drop it and leave it be!'

So caught up was Sarah in her internal raging that she didn't hear her name being called until a light hand on her shoulder snapped her out of it.

"Huh?"

"Sarah? Are you alright? I've been trying to get your attention for the past couple minutes" Irene said with a worried crease in her brow.

Sarah blinked a couple of times before she blushed a deep shade of pink and grinned sheepishly up at the woman.

"I'm fine, Irene. Just a little tired from not getting enough sleep, that's all. I'm sorry if I worried you, and for spacing out on you."

"That's fine, dear. I was just saying that I was preparing dinner for about 5 o'clock, and that if you and Raleigh did not have other plans, that you were welcome to join us. And since it is the weekend, I thought you might stay for a night or two, if you aren't too busy"

"Count me in! That sounds great!" Raleigh said enthusiastically with a large grin on her face.

Sarah heaved a sigh. She had made plans to give her apartment a good cleaning, as it was the weekend. But she shrugged, having a homemade dinner and sleep over sounded alot better than going home to whatever she could quickly conjure up for dinner before doing her housework until probably two or three in the morning. Besides, it was only Friday today. She had two free days in which she could do her housework.

"Yes, thank you, that does sound great" she said with a sincere smile.

Irene returned it. "Wonderful. I am making peking duck, with a side of asparagus and baked potatoes."

Yep. That sounded alot better than whatever Sarah could come up with tonight for dinner.

Before Sarah could ask if there was anything she could do to help with the dinner, a lone elephant started stampeding above their heads, and seconds later, came tumbling down the stairs.

"Sarah!Sarah!Sarah! You're here!"

She laughed as a young boy with fair blonde hair catapulted himself from the stairs and straight into her, wrapping his little arms around her waist and squeezing with what might he had.

"Hey Toby. Are you ready to come to the mall with Raleigh and me?"

"You bet! And look! Mom and dad even gave me my allowance early so I can get something cool!"

Sarah watched as he stuck one pudgy hand into his pocket to fish out a ten dollar bill and a couple of coins, presenting them proudly as his eyes sparkled.

"That's great, kiddo" she said as she affectionatley ruffled his hair. "Now, put it back in your pocket and go get your coat and things. We'll be leaving in a couple minutes."

" 'Kay" was all he said as he stuffed his money back into his pockets and disappeard to go collect his things.

"I wish I had even half the amount of energy that he has" Irene laughed.

Sarah smiled fondly at the retreating form of her baby brothers back, a few memories flitting through her mind until she shook her head and put them in the back of her mind. She really needed to stop spacing out so often.

"We should get going now. We'll be back in plenty time to help with dinner" Sarah said politley, herding Raleigh and her boisterous brother out the door and to her car.

Sarah hopped into the driver's seat and checked her watch as she waited for her two passengers to be seated and buckled. 'It's 10:30 now. We should have plenty of time for lunch and some leisurly window shopping. If we leave by 3:30 at the latest, we can be back in time to help Irene set up the last minute things for dinner'

Nodding to herself, she reached back to grab the strap to her seatbelt and buckled herself. That's when it happened. A strange sense of anxiety overcame her, a tight knot suddenly forming and gripping her insides tightly. She settled a hand on her abdomen, turning her head to look towards her parents house and the knot tightened again. Something was very, very wrong. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but instinctivley she knew. Her instincts had never led her wrong before, and they had only grown stronger since the incident six years ago. Whether or not her newfound intuition had something to do with the labyrinth, she did not know. But she had come to trust them.

"Okay Sarah, we're all set."

Raleigh's voice startled her from her deep thoughts and she absently nodded her head, sticking her key into the ignition of her car and bringing it to life with a small twist of her wrist. She had no clue as to what the feeling in her gut was trying to tell her, and knew that she wouldn't understand them until the moment that it happened. Things were already set in motion, and there was nothing that she could do to stop them. She could only pray that she would have the wits and the strength to overcome whatever was going to be thrown at her. And judging by the sense of anxiety that was welling up in her, she would need every ounce of it that she possessed.

Irene waved to the trio as Sarah honked her horn in goodbye, chuckling as both Raleigh and Toby waved animatedly to her from their windows as they became no more than a dot in the distance. She was content. It was a beauitful august afternoon. Her marriage was strong and flourishing. Her son and step-daughter were almost inseperable. Everything was right in the world, as far as she was concerned. She continued to stop and feel the moment of perfect contentment she felt for a few minutes more, and then she turned around and went back inside. With no husband and no son around for the moment, perhaps she could get something accomplished besides walking behind the two of them, picking up the messes they left in their wake.


	3. Chapter 3

The mall, as per usual, was packed with people. Most of which were teens with nothing better to do other than walk aimlessly through the long corridors, wasting time, money and their lives. But, as Sarah knew, they would grow out of the phase of always wanting to be out of the house. Someday they would cherish all the things that money could not buy, things that were more often than not taken for granted.

_'Don't take anything for granted'_ her mind warned her.

Sarah frowned. A little voice in the back of her mind had soon joined the growing sense of dread, and both were warning her. She could feel, rather than hear, bells and whistles of warning going off inside of her. Every instinct she had screamed at her,trying to warn her of something. But of what? She didn't know. But in the pit of her stomach, a knot grew tighter and tighter with each passing minute. Something was very wrong, and she wished she knew what it was so that she might be better prepared to deal with what was coming. She very much disliked the idea of being unprepared.

"Sarah? Sarah, did you hear me?" an impatient voice asked her. Toby's voice, she realized as she came back to reality and looked down at him.

"I'm sorry, what did you say, Toby?"

"I said, can we go in this store before we go find Raleigh and go home?"

Sarah followed his gaze to a small toy store, its shelves lined with stuffed animals in every size, shape and color. She absentmindedly checked her watch. Three o'clock. The knot in her stomach tightened again and a sense of apprehension filled her. Though try as she might, she couldn't shrug it off, so instead she placed a brave mask on her face and forced a smile. It wouldn't do any good if Toby were to pick up on her anxiety, and there was no sense in worrying him about something that she couldn't explain.

"It seems like we should have just enough time to take a quick peek in here before we meet up with Raleigh at the music store"

"Hooray!" Toby cried in delight, tugging his sister behind him as he entered the small store.

He stared wide eyed at the assortment of plushies that adorned the shelves, and thought for a moment about where he should start looking. He decided that they always kept the coolest toys hidden in the corner shelves, and so he bounded off towards the closest corner.

"Be careful please, Toby." Sarah said from behind him as she watched him haphazardly navigate through the store.

"Ah, a fine day to you. Is there anything in particular that you are searching for?"

Sarah jumped a bit at the voice from behind her, turning around to face an elderly gentleman with a clip on his shirt that read 'Manager'.

"Ah, no. We're just browsing. Thank you"

"Very well. If you need any assistance, I'd be happy to help you" he said kindly and smiled, turning around and making his way towards another customer.

Once he had gone, Sarah held a hand up to her heart. Ontop of the dread that had mysteriously built up inside of her, she really didn't need people coming up behind her and scaring the bejesus out of her. The quicker she got out of here and went back to her parents, the better off she would feel. With her mind made up she walked the short distance to where she had seen Toby disappear. She found him with his back to her, holding something in his hands and looking at it intently.

"Come on, Toby. Time's up. We've got to get a move on so we are not late" Sarah said from behind him.

Toby turned around with a grin on his face, and held the object he had been holding out infront of him for his sister to see.

"Hey, look at this, Sarah! Isn't it cool?! Do you think I have enough money to buy this?"

He didn't seem to notice how pale Sarah suddenly went as he went on about his discovery. In his hands was a plush little goblin with a wicked little smirk, and in this goblin's hand was a tiny plastic ball. And did she just see something in that tiny plastic ball??

Sarah struggled to take deep breaths as she stared into the lifeless eyes of the plush toy. A coincidence. That was all this was. And nothing more. But even if it were just a coincidence, it unnerved Sarah. First a terrible feeling of dread, and now this?

_'There's a fine line between coincidence and fate, precious one. Don't take anything for granted'_

"Hey, uuh, Toby, are you sure you want that toy?" Sarah asked, almost fumbling over her words more than once.

Toby looked up at his sister with a perplexed look on his face.

"It's just that, uhh, there are just so many _other _toys in here" she rambled, gesturing to the other toys that surrounded them. "I mean, wouldn't you rather have, uhm, this cute little......hippo?" she said with a forced smile, picking up the toy she had picked at random and holding it out to him, praying that he'd change his mind.

However, Toby disagreed.

"Nu uh. Hippo's are fat and ugly. And it's a _girl _hippo. See? It's pink. That means it's a girl"

"Well, that thing isn't any prettier" Sarah argued.

"It's not supposed to be pretty. It's a goblin. Goblin's are supposed to be scary and icky and covered with warts and stuff. That's how they're _supposed_ to look. I think it looks cool! And just look at this neat ball it has! See?"

She sighed in defeat. There would be no chance of making him change his mind.

_'You are being ridiculous, Sarah. It's just a _toy._ Some cloth and some fluff and a couple plastic eyes. No need to make such a big deal out of this. It's not like it's going to come alive in the middle of the night, sneak into your bedroom and throttle you in your sleep at the will of its master down in the Underground....'_

"Are you _sure_ you don't want this hippo? Or anything else in here?" Sarah begged, clutching the stuffed animal so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Toby smiled. "Nope. Just him. C'mon, I'm gonna go pay for him and then we can leave and go find Raleigh"

He pretty much skipped all the way to the till to pay for his new friend. Sarah groaned and dragged her feet as she followed him. She was definatley sleeping with her door locked and a lamp on tonight.

* * *

By the time Sarah drove back to her parents house and parked along the sidewalk, the sense of anxiety and apprehension had grown to new heights. While it had nagged at her the entire time she had been at the mall, it now hit her at full force as she stared at the blue victorian house of her childhood. It had never seemed menacing, as it did now. An involuntary shiver skittered up her spine and made her skin break out in gooseflesh.

Mechanically she unbuckled herself and got out of her car, moving in slow motion while her thoughts were running at full tilt. She wanted to run away. Clearly something very dangerous lurked just inside, something she felt would change her life forever. But the curiousity of it all picked at the edges of her consciousness, as well as the question as to whether Irene and her father were alright or not. Was this a danger only to herself? Or did it involve all of them? She glanced over at her friend and brother as they gathered their treasures from shopping, happily unaware of the chilling aura that surrounded the house.

Well, if none of them were any the wiser, then she would put herself in the front and defend them. The safety of her siblings and friends far outweighed any feelings of cowardice she held, and with a deep intake of breath she started the seeminly long walk from the sidewalk to the front door.

As she walked, she couldn't help but wonder if this was how Hoggle had felt as he bravley risked his life to save them from the colossal guard at the entrance to the Goblin City. The need to protect the people he had come to care so dearly for taking over, and all his fear put temporarily on the back burner. She sure wished he was there to back her up now. And Ludo, and Sir Didymus too. She could have really used their support right about now.

"Mom! Dad! Wait till you see what I bought today!!!" Toby cried happily, rushing towards the door like a little blonde bolt of lightning.

Sarah whipped her head around in wide eyed horror as she watched her baby brother race towards the front door, distress almost crushing her with its weight. With speed Sarah never knew she was capable of, she shot out both her arms and caught her brother who yelped in surprise, and stumbled to lawn.

Toby pushed away from his big sister and was about to ask her if she had gone mad, but the look on her face startled him to silence. Her face was white and she was gasping for breath, she looked as if she had just seen the most frightening thing in the world. Raleigh noticed as well, and she jogged over to her friend and gave her a steady hand and helped her to stand on wobbly knee's.

"Sarah, what's wrong?" Raleigh asked, suddenly very alert. Sarah had been acting weird the entire ride to the mall, and it only had gotten worse by the time they had drove back. She had known Sarah long enough to know that she was not a drama queen, and she never acted rashly without a damn good reason.

Sarah forced her breathing to even out and calmed her madly beating heart, and merley pointed to the front door that was slightly ajar.

"Irene nor Daddy never leave the door open" she said solemnly.

Toby looked back and fourth between the two women, his own anxiety starting to rise at the very serious looks on both of their faces.

"What is it? What's going on? Where's mommy?" he questioned rapidly, suddenly feeling like he was going to be very sick.

Sarah crouched down at eye level with him and spoke softly.

"Listen to me Toby, everything is going to be just fine. But I want you to go with Raleigh over to Mr. and Mrs. Sherman's house, okay? Can you do that for me?"

"But, where are you going? Why aren't you coming with us?"

"Ssh" she gently reprimanded him, "I'm just going to see if I can find Daddy or Irene. Then I'll come straight there. I promise. Now be good and listen to Raleigh."

He nodded his head and took Raleigh's outstretched hand, smiling when the girl gave him a comforting squeeze, which he returned.

"If I'm not there in 10 minutes, call the police" Sarah whispered to Raleigh before she turned her back on them and moved towards the house.

"Be careful" Raleigh whispered after her friend, turning herself in the direction of the neighbors house and tugging Toby along with her.

Sarah silently crept up to the front door of the house, pushing it open slowly with her foot, holding her breath for the hinges to creak or moan. She breathed a small sigh of relief when no noise was heard as the door swung fully open. Thank God for small miracles. She tentatively poked her head inside and quickly scanned the entrance room and listened hard for any voices. Hearing and seeing nothing, it was time to take the next step.

With as much stealth as she could muster she tiptoed into the house and past the stairs, her eyes darting from one place to the next and all of her senses hyper alert. Her insides were in complete chaos, and her mind was no better, but she forced herself to remain calm on the surface. Lives could be depending on her, the lives of her father and step-mother and herself to be exact. She couldn't afford to fumble. Not now. Not ever.

_CLANG!!_

Sarah's body reflexivley jumped and her heart nearly stopped at the sudden noise, and she had instinctivley slapped her hand over her mouth to prevent any surprised sounds she could make from being heard. After a moment, when she could finally straighten out her thoughts that had been jumbled by surprise, she realized that the noise had come from the direction of the kitchen. She took another moment to compose herself before moving forward, the tight knot in her stomach becoming tighter as she walked, until finally she came to the kitchen door. Slowly, Sarah slid along the wall to the door frame and peeked around the corner.

She froze as she looked on at the scene before her, knowing that it would forever be burned into her memory.

Both her step-mother and her father were sitting in kitchen chairs, their hands bound behind them and a silver piece of duct tape across their mouths. Her faithful sheepdog Merlin lay in a bloody heap on the floor, dead. Irene was shivering as she wept, her head hung forward in anguish and horror. Her father, on the other hand, wasn't moving at all. Sarah's breath caught in her throat. Upon closer inspection, she could see a line of blood trickling from the side of his head down his neck and onto the collar of his suit. Was he dead? Sarah's eyes welled up with tears. No.....nonono NO!!!!

She held fast to the frame of the door, lest she do something stupid like run to her father's side to check his pulse to see if he was at least still alive. But three bodies covered in black, toting firearms, assured her that such an action would be a foolhardy one. Two of what she assumed to be men held pistols, while the third held a shotgun. A pistol, while frightening, was nowhere near as intimidating as the shotgun. Both were lethal to be sure, but only with the shotgun would her insides become outsides if she was shot with it.

_SLAM!_

To her surprise, Sarah didn't jump this time. Perhaps it was because of the prediciment that she was in that forced her not to react, any sudden movement could cost them all their lives. Or maybe she had just become numb for the moment, the force of all the emotions blurring into one until she felt nothing at all. Whatever the case may be, she was grateful for it. The man weilding the shotgun looked none to impressed, and she did not wish to be on the receiving end of his temper.

"Damn it, woman! Where the hell did you stash the money?!"

_SMASH!_

Irene shivered in response, trying to get as far away from the intruder as possible. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Tell me where it is, or I'm going to blow this guy's head right off" he sneered, gesturing to Sarah's father.

Irene screamed incoherently, struggling against her bonds and squirming frantically in her seat.

The man advanced on the terrified woman and in one swift movement, he tore off the piece of duct tape and grabbed the hair on the back of her head and yanked it back.

"Where. Is. It?" he asked slowly, ominously.

Irene's lower lip quivered. She opened her mouth to speak, but her gaze suddenly fell on Sarah standing wide eyed in the doorway. Her eyes widened for a moment but she forced her gaze away, she would never forgive herself if they found Sarah. God only knew how they'd torture the woman, and probably right infront of her eyes. It hadn't bothered them to shoot poor old Merlin infront of her or Robert, so there was no telling what they would do to a young woman. Rape multiple times. Beat. Then kill. Irene shuddered. No. Not if she could help it.

"The money...is..in the study" she managed to croak out, her throat already raw by the amount of screaming she had done.

The man smiled cruelly down at the woman, relasing her and crouching down to eye level with her.

"Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" He chuckled darkly as he leaned in and gave Irene a kiss on the cheek, laughing even more when she immediatley turned her head in disgust.

"You, stay here with her. We'll go find the money" he said, obviously their leader.

Sarah watched him and one other dark figure stalk out an alternate door on the other end of the kitchen that would lead them to her father's study. She smiled at Irene. There was no money in the study. Any large sums of cash that her father and Irene had were deposited safely in a bank, a trust fund for her and Toby. Irene had told them the wrong location, probably so that Sarah could get away.

_'Not without you and daddy' _she said to herself, trying to come up with some sort of plan of action.

_'All right, what we need here is a carefully thought out plan, but we don't have time for that, so here's my half-assed idea that I came up with in a last-minute panic instead. See that cast iron pan just over there? As soon as his back is turned, quietly grab it and whack him in the head!' _her mind was telling her.

_'But won't that make noise? A cast iron pan cracking against a skull, and then a body falling to the floor isn't exactley going to be inaudible' _she countered.

_'Look. If you have a better plan, then I am all ears. But I know that you don't. A little sound is worth the risk, don't you think? Besides, those other guys are going to be busy looking for cash that isn't there and are going to be distracted. And speaking of which, if they are looking for something that they are __not__ going to find, don't you think you should take the opportunity to try to get everybody out of here before they come back pissed off and weilding their big shiny lethal guns?'_

_'....good point.'_

She finished her inner brainstorming just in time to see Irene cock her head in the general direction of the front door. She shook her head and stole a quick glance at the only man left in the kitchen. He turned his back to Sarah and was looking in the direction his comrades went.

_'Act now, think later!!' _her mind screamed at her, and she obeyed.

Slinking silently into the kitchen she grabbed the large black pan, holding a finger to her lips as she slowly crept towards the invader.

_'I can do this. I can do this. I can do this' _she repeated to herself over and over again as she stalked towards the man. He must have seen her shadow or felt her presence approach him, because the next thing Sarah knew, he had begun to turn around. The next few seconds seemed to slow down and creep to a near stand still, and Sarah felt like she was having an out-of-body experience.

She saw herself swing the pan back and just as he came to fully face her, she swung it foward ferociously and hit the man on the side of the head. She both felt and heard a sickening crack of bone as the pan forced all of her strength into his head, and stared with a small amount of pride as the men fell backwards. Was he unconscious? Was he dead? Did it matter right now? Not really. The only thing that mattered was that one was down, and there were two left.

She heard things being thrown and overturned in the study, life suddenly coming back to it's normal pace. She had no time to waste. She bent over the man sprawled out on the floor, grabbed the gun and rushed over to Irene.

"Are you alright?! Are you insane?!?! They could have killed you!" Irene whispered furiously, even though relief shone brightly in her eyes.

"Worry about me later," Sarah whispered back, "we have to get you and daddy out of here and to a hospital. Screw material objects!"

She set down the gun and pan carefully, noting with a bit of self satisfaction the smear of blood on the bottom of the pan, and grabbed a nearby knife that had presumably been tossed out of anger and begun to cut through the ropes that bound her step mother. As fast as she sawed through the thick rope, she felt as if things were crawling at a snail's pace. Perhaps the rush of adrenaline had caused this effect? Not that it mattered at the moment. As long as the adrenaline would kick in once more to help them all escape from this nightmare, that was all that mattered.

Finally, after what seemed to take hours, Sarah cut through the last of Irene's bonds and the woman slumped forward a bit. Sarah rushed around to the front and held her step mother from collapsing to the floor.

"Come on now, Irene. Don't pass out on me just yet. Daddy still needs our help, remember? Come on, we gotta help daddy and get the hell out of here!" she whispered into her ear, hoping that the mention of her father would be enough to send her adrenaline rushing and keep her from fainting.

Sure enough, it worked. Irene's eyes that were momentarily glazed over became clear and determined. She had to be strong. Maybe she couldn't be as strong as Sarah was being, but she could at least be of some help. She regained her composure and sat back, looking directly into Sarah's eyes.

"Just tell me what to do"

Sarah smiled then took Irene's hand and led her over to Robert, who had yet to move, even with all the commotion going on. She hesitated for just a moment before placing two fingers to the nape of her father's neck, searching for a pulse.

_Thump.........thump............thump............_

_'Oh, thank you God! He's not dead!'_

Sarah nearly burst into tears but was able to hold it in. Now wasn't the time to be a wishy-washy female. Right now, she needed to be a warrior. Her father needed her to be a warrior. While his heart was still beating, it was slow. There was no time to waste, she needed to get him to the hospital as quickly as possible, or he might not make it despite all of her efforts. She handed the knife to Irene.

"Cut the ropes as quickly as you can. I'll make sure that they're still occupied looking for the money" she whispered, picking up the gun and creeping towards the study.

"Sarah! There is no money in there. I swear! I only told them that so you might have a chance to get away!" Irene urgently whispered after Sarah's retreating back.

Sarah turned back and smiled fondly. "I know, Irene. I know. Thank you. Now please, hurry."

When Irene started cutting the binds, Sarah continued on to the study, praying that they would still have ample time to make their escape. The study door was open only a crack, but it was open just enough for Sarah to peer into the room. The once organized room now laid in complete shambles. The drawers from her fathers desk were taken out and the contents strewn in every direction. The seats from the loveseat had been removed and ripped open and now laid half empty of their stuffing on the floor. Books had been flung from their shelves, a few treasured knick knacks heaved across the room, and they had even gone so far as to tear up portions of the carpet.

They didn't have much time left. The two men were making quick work of destroying the room and everything in it, and Sarah knew that she maybe had five precious minutes to get Irene and her father out of here. She quietly retreated from the door and rushed back to the kitchen where she found Irene was nearly through the last couple pieces of rope. It would take her another couple minutes to saw through the remaining pieces.

"Where the hell is it?!" a furious voice bellowed, followed by the crashing of something that sounded quite heavy.

Sarah's stomach filled with dread. Maybe they didn't have as much time as she thought they did. So what did she do now? Even if she had one of the guns, she couldn't very well fend off two men with a shotgun and a pistol. She was outnumbered two to one. Her knee's began to quake as she visualized the two men storming out here and being _very_ upset at not finding the money, and to top it all off, finding a little girl trying to bravely rescue everyone. They would solve that problem with a quick twitch of their fingers.

"Ah, I'm through!" Irene whispered as she tried her best to hold her husband from crashing to the floor, grunting under his weight.

Sarah roughly exhaled the breath she had been unconsciously holding in as she scurried towards her step-mother and helped to take some of her father's weight off the fragile woman, and between the two of them, they started dragging him towards the front door. It wasn't that far from the kitchen to the front door, no more than a hop, skip and a jump really. But it felt like miles to Sarah. They rounded the first corner successfully. Another enraged yell from the study gave Sarah and Irene a boost of adrenaline, and with power they did not know they possessed, they started taking longer strides towards the door.

Escape was within their reach. They were seconds away from glorious freedom. And finally they were at the door. Irene burst into fresh tears as she took a shaky step out the front door, heaving her husband through the threshold with a grunt of effort. Sarah cried as well. It was over. They had managed to escape death by the skin of their teeth. And now it was time to haul her father to the neighbors house and get some medical help.

At least, that was how Sarah wished the rest of the scene could have played out. Behind her she heard a door being slammed, followed by angry shouts, then an eerie silence. They had been found out. And soon they would be discovered. It would take a matter of seconds for the two men to rush to the front door, spot them, and either drag them all back inside, or just shoot them where they stood.

She frowned. No. It wasn't going to go down like this. She looked at the gun that she still had tightly clasped in a shaky hand, nodded her head, and then turned to face her step mother. Irene must have heard the ruckus too, for she stood very still watching inside of the house for a sign of the men clad in black. She reminded Sarah of a deer caught in headlights. Knowing that she should be moving to avoid the danger, but too scared to make her limbs obey her commands.

Without warning, Sarah shifted herself out from under her father's weight and pressed it onto Irene, who stumbled back a bit under the weight and looked at her. She was confused for a moment before clarity dawned on her, and she shook her head madly.

"No. No, Sarah. Don't!" she begged.

Sarah stepped back inside the house and took the doorknob firmly in her hand. "Take care of daddy" was all she said before she shut the door in Irene's face and locked it.

She knew that if they found all three of them, the chances of survival for any of them were not very good. The least she could do was give Irene and her father a chance to escape. She would find some way out of this mess. She didn't know how. But she knew she had to try.

_'Well, if the odds are against you, then you'll just have to even them out' _

Sarah nodded to herself and glanced once more at the gun in her hand. She had never used a gun before. Hell, she hardly knew anything about guns except that they shot bullets and could kill you. But she had no choice. She'd figure it out. She bolted from her place against the front door and hopped the couple steps to the first landing and hid in the corner, a place where she knew she had a pretty good view of the kitchen door. With some luck and some guts, she could even out the odds in this situation. She was sure they weren't going to let her live if they caught her, and she was determined not to die by the hands of some petty thug after all she had gone through in her life.

Hurried footsteps brought her attention back to the matter at hand and she clutched the gun to her breast and sucked in a deep breath, watching two heads appear in her line of vision.

"Damn it to hell! How'd they get out of those chairs?!!" the man with the shotgun hollered at his partner, kicking the wall in his anger.

"How the hell should I know? I didn't tie the knots" the other man defended.

_'Now! Before it's too late!' _her mind screamed at her.

With only a second's hesitation, Sarah stuck out her arm, aimed for the man's head and pulled the trigger and hoped that it would work. It was her only chance.

_BANG!_

Blood spattered every which way. She saw a thick trail of the red liquid oozing down the side of the man's head, and then he dropped to the floor with a 'thud'.

Sarah couldn't help but stare in shock. What had she just done? She had just took a man's life, that's what she had done. She felt as if she were going to throw up, and the sensation was only made worse by the copper smell that now hung in the air.

"You little bitch"

Sarah's head whipped around to face the very angry eyes of the last man standing, his shotgun poised and ready to shoot. And shoot he did.

_BANG!!!_

Sarah withdrew her head just in time to avoid being shot, breathing heavily she didn't even notice the multiple cuts on her face and throat from shards of wood that had been blown to pieces just meters from her head, or the fact that she had dropped the gun in surprise. She couldn't stay here, she realized. Springing up from her hiding spot she raced up the stairs, taking two at a time, and ducked into the guest room. She slammed the door shut behind her and locked it, moving herself to the side of the door incase he decided he wanted to empty a few rounds into the door.

_'Speaking of guns, we seem to have lost ours' _her mind pointed out to her.

Sarah blinked as she looked down at her empty hands, staring at them for a second before she cursed darkly. Now, not only was she trapped, but she had nothing with which to defend herself with.

_'What now? What do I do now?!!' _she thought to herself frantically. She quickly looked around the room for something she might use to defend herself with. She cursed again when she could find nothing of any use to her.

_CRACK!_

She jumped and stared at the door. What the bloody hell was that?!

_CRACK!_

She jumped again and backed further away from the door.

_'Oh my God. He's breaking down the door!'_

_CRACK!_

_'I wish someone would help me! Anybody!! Please, someone save me!!!!'_

Sarah was starting to go into overdrive when a sudden light blinded her. She turned towards the source and found herself staring at an antique dresser and mirror against the wall, and behind her was a window.

She gasped. The window. Of course! She was in so much distress that she had overlooked the obvious.

_'Nothing is always as it seems' _her mind reminded her.

_'Not right now!' _she growled. _' you can lecture me __after__ we get out of this mess'_

_CRACK!_

Sarah took one last glance at the door. It was starting to give way, cracking and splintering under the onslaught of the wild man on the other side. Her eyes narrowed and she took a deep breath, and dashed towards the window. It squeaked in aged protest as she forced it open, the cracking and splintering of wood hastening her pace. Finally she managed to wedge it open just enough so that she would be able to squeeze herself through the opening. Not that she knew what she would do once she was out the window, but she would think of that later. Focusing on getting out was the main problem at the moment.

She hefted one leg onto the window sill and slid it out and over the ledge, shimmying herself a little closer to the window and taking a deep breath, she squashed her front down to the sill and pushed herself out to the other side. Her lungs drank deeply the fresh air the instant she was outside, and she let herself relax as she steadied herself to pulled her other leg from the inside of the house.

She should have never let her guard down.

A hand clamped over her own and began to pull her back towards the house. Sarah screeched and ground her heels in an attempt to snatch her hand back, and she found herself face to face, so to speak, with the terrifying man. Dark eyes flashed dangerously at her through the pane of the window as he tried to drag her back through the opening, squeezing her wrist painfully as he did so. She flinched at the pain, but the pain seemed to snap her out of her shocked state, and she pulled back with as much strength as she had left.

"Let go of me, bastard!" she said through clenched teeth.

He didn't answer. Instead, his eyes went from anger to cruelty. She was sure that if he were to get her back inside of there, he would do many horrible things to her. Probably more than once.

She did the only thing she hadn't tried. She screamed.

"NOOOOOOO! I WISH SOMEONE WOULD HELP ME RIGHT NOW!!!!!!"

No sooner had Sarah uttered those words than the man lost his footing and jolted forward, catching himself with his free hand. To any outsider, it would have appeared as though he shook the window frame and the vibrations caused the window to shake free and slam shut. Right on his wrist. He howled in pain and his hand shot open, and Sarah was sent flying backwards.

She tried to scream, but no sound came from her open mouth. She watched in horror as she slowly descended from the window and fell closer to the unforgiving ground beneath her. But then, perhaps it was just the shock and adrenaline, but the house seemed to be getting farther and farther away. Past the ground. After a few minutes, her old house was no more than a speck in the distance.

What the hell was going on? Had she already landed and died from the fall? Was she dead? But wait, if that were true, and she were dead, why was she still falling? According to what she had always been told, Heaven was above her, and Hell was below her. So, if she were still falling, then that meant....

She found her voice and a scream tore through her throat and out of her mouth. She was going to Hell?! WHY?!?! How did this happen? How did people who saved other people's lives end up getting a ticket to Hell?

_'Well, there was that one guy you shot in the head. And the other one you cracked upside the head with a frying pan' _her mind suggested helpfully.

She was about to state the fact that _THEY_ were the ones that were trying to kill her and her family, when she suddenly stopped falling and started to slowly float in mid-air.

It was a very familiar feeling to her. She hesitantly looked at her surroundings expecting to find large columns floating beside her, dangling in suspended time. But that wasn't the case. The sight she was met with met with was impressive, however. A beautiful and mostly untamed land stretched out before her, only a flew clusters of cottages dotting the hill sides. It was a breath taking sight to behold.

_'Thank you, dear.' _a warm and gentle voice said.

Sarah gasped and looked around her. She half expected to find somebody floating beside her, but found nobody. How very odd.

_'Down here, child.' _the voice beckoned to her.

Sarah hated to look down, she would rather not know just how far up she was at the moment even if she weren't falling at a break neck speed anymore. But curiousity always seemed to have a way of winning against her common sense, and so she looked down. She was quite relieved that she wasn't that high off the ground, and quite in awe of the figure that stood below her, waiting for her to join her on the ground. From even this height Sarah could tell that this person was quite lovely, and that fact made her start to feel a little self conscious.

A few moments passed in silence as Sarah continued her slow descent, still taking in all the sights around her, and then she landed. Her knees gave out from under when she set her feet on the ground, and she she sank to the ground. She tried to get up but she couldn't, her legs felt like lead.

"Welcome Sarah Williams"

Sarah looked up to see the woman who had greeted her as she was floating towards the ground. She thought that she had been pretty from what she could see from up above, and now as she stared up at her, she thought she was beautiful. She had long golden hair that flowed down her back in waves that framed porcelain skin, bright blue eyes and delicate rosy lips. She was dressed in a simple white flowing gown that made her look very elegant, and Sarah got the impression that it wasn't just the gown. This woman radiated feminism. And not just from the clothes that she wore. Even from the way this women held her body this woman was classy, elegant and delicate. Things that Sarah wished she had more of.

She could only blink in response as she sat and stared. Her head was spinning with the recent turn of events. First Irene and her father were being held captive in their house, then Sarah rescues them both and ends up shooting one of the men, _**THEN**_ she gets chased up the stairs, climbs out the window, only to fall off the roof. The next thing she knew the earth seemingly swallowed her whole and transported her to wherever it was that she sat now, and this mystical woman stood before her welcoming her.

_'Hey wait a second,' _she frowned as a thought occured to her, _'this woman called me by name. How did she know my name? Where the hell am I?!'_

"Ah, forgive me Sarah. You must think me so rude." the woman spoke, her voice like liquid honey, warm and inviting. "I am Titania, Queen of the fae. I welcome you to my home, Avalon."

"Avalon?" Sarah asked

Titania nodded, smiling prettily down at the flustered girl.

"And just where is Avalon, exactley?" she questioned, dreading the answer but needing to know.

"Avalon resides in the heart of the Underground" she answered.

Sarah paled. "The......Un....Under...ground...? she stammered.

Titania nodded. "That is correct. To the north lay the kingdom of the dragons. To the east lay the kingdom of dwarves, gnomes and elves. To the south lay the kingdom of ogres and trolls. And to the west lay the kingdom of the Labyrinth, which is the land of the goblins. But I understand that you have already had the pleasure of encountering this land, and its king." She finished with a quirk of her eyebrow and a small smile on her lips.

The Labyrinth. Home of the goblins. Subjects of the Goblin King. Jareth.

"Oh My God." she whispered hoarsley before her world turned black and she fell backwards, unconscious.

Titania watched the girls reaction with amusement. "Well, I would say that this was as good a start as any. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to your new home, Sarah Williams. Jareth will be pleased when he learns of your arrival."


	4. Chapter 4

Sarah moaned in pleasure. Warm. She was so warm. And fuzzy. She blinked a couple of times to clear the haze from her eyes, stretching her body as she let her eyes adjust to the dim lighting. Turning herself half over she looked out her balcony door and groaned, the sun was just starting to peek over the hills, it was too damn early for her to be conscious. It was with these thoughts in her mind that she slumped back into the comforting warmth of her silky sheets, cuddling deep within them as she gently started to nod off into blissful slumber once more.

Two minutes later her eyes snapped open. Balcony door? What balcony door? She most certainly did NOT have a balcony on her apartment. And she didn't have silk sheets, either. Very slowly, Sarah sat up in her bed to examine her bedding. Ivory colored silk. That was funny. The last time she looked, her bedding was dark blue and had different little butterfly patterns sewn on it. She turned towards the dim light coming from the door. Yup. That was a balcony alright. And the scenery outside was not the busy suburban street that she had grown accustomed to over the years.

She blinked owlishly. What the hell? Where was she? Where were Irene and her father? Where was Toby? And then it hit her. Hard. Memories started flying through her head at lightning speed, and she was powerless to stop the onslaught of emotions that threatened to completley overwhelm her.

Her parents in bondage. Merlin laying dead on the floor. Her father sitting deadly men clad in black with guns. Herself smashing one of them in the head with a frying pan. Cutting Irene loose. Getting Irene and her father out of the house. Shooting and killing a man in cold blood. Running away. Escaping. Caught. Falling. Floating. A queen. Jareth. And then blackness.

She sat on the bed shaking. She was back. She had returned to the Underground. She didn't know how and she didn't know why, but she was. Fear clawed up her spine and turned her blood to ice. _He_ was close. Perhaps not in the physical sense, but alot closer now then when she had been Aboveground.

_'Okay, calm down Sarah, it's alright'_ she soothed herself mentally as she tried to take a few deep, cleansing breaths. _'One small step at a time. I know where I am, at least. Now I just need to move on to the next question. How the hell am I going to get out of here? And for that matter, __**why**__ am I here in the bloody first place?'_

She tossed off the silky covers of her bed and swung her bare legs over the edge. Wait. Bare legs? That wasn't right. She had been wearing a pair of jeans...

She looked down at her body and wanted to scream. Her top, her pants, her shoes and socks, they had all been removed. Further investigation showed that at the very least, her bra and panties were in the same place she had left them. Overtop of that was a billowing night gown. Someone had some nerve! Taking off all her clothes while she had been asleep! She wanted answers, and she wanted them now!

Ignoring the chill that swept through her body as bare feet connected with the frosty stone floor, she pushed herself up off of her bed and onto shaky knee's.

She ignored the stiffness of her muscles as she straightened to her full height and winced at a dull throb in her right arm. The arm that man had grabbed in an attempt to capture her. She shuddered at the thought of the man and his dangerous eyes. Eyes of a killer. Suddenly a wave of nausea slammed into her and forced her back to her bed, holding a shaky hand up to her forehead as she fought to stay conscious. She needed answers to her questions, and she couldn't very well even ask the questions if she kept fainting.

_Knock knock knock knock_

She froze. What should she do? Allow the presence on the other side of the door entry? Or dive back under her covers and feign sleep?

_'Well, you said you wanted answers. Opportunity seems to be knocking on your door' _her mind snickered.

She sighed. Just once she wished that she could take things into her own hands before fate could intervene and do it for her, for she feared that when this whole thing was said and done she would have no nerves left at all. She called fourth her courage and braced herself on her bed, having no idea who or what was on the other side of that door but granting them permission anyway.

The door opened slowly to reveal the graceful woman who had welcomed her to this place, Avalon she recalled, the place at the heart of the Underground. She also recalled the fact that this woman called herself a Queen. The Queen of the Fae, if she remembered correctly. Sarah had never been in the presence of royalty, save for that one case and she certainly had seen no need to bow down to him. But this was quite different. She began to lift herself off of her bed to properly greet her guest, when said person held up a gentle hand to still her movements.

"I assure you that is not necessary, Sarah. Please, be seated. It will do you no good to over exert yourself" Titania said kindly with a smile gracing her lips.

Sarah blinked but sat back down, nodding her thanks to the woman who seated herself on the bed beside her. She didn't really trust her legs right now anyway and was relieved when she was spared the embarrassment of trying to stand and probably fall flat on her face, with the way her morning had started out it wouldn't surprise her one bit. She breifly wondered just what she had ever done for karma to rebel against her like this, kicking her in the ass at every opportunity.

"Did you rest well?"

Sarah's eyes re-focused on the woman, who currently held a look of concern deep within her stormy blue eyes. Eyes that held a certain familiarity, but the memory of whom the eyes belonged to stubbornly evaded her. Staying just out of reach of her memory.

"Yes, thank you" she replied politley. "Uhm, how long have I been asleep for?"

Titania cocked her hide to the side momentarily, calculating something in her mind. "Hmm, I would say that it has been about three days."

Sarah blushed darkly. "Three days?" she sputtered in disbelief.

Titania nodded. "Yes. But considering the circumstances, it is really no surprise."

"The circumstances?"

"Yes. That day when you returned to the old blue house of your past with young Toby, the day when you had felt nothing but anxiety and apprehension. Your senses really are quite sharp, aren't they?"

Sarah shivered involuntarily at the memory. How she wished she could just forget the whole ordeal. She had seen things that she could never unsee, and done things that she could never undo. But then a thought struck her. Just how the hell did this woman know about that at all? How did she know about her?

"Forgive me if I sound rude, but how is it that you know so much about me? How do you know about what happened?"

The queen's smile broadened at the question.

"My dear, I have been watching over you. For six years, I have watched both you and your darling younger brother Toby"

Sarah blanched. "You've been _spying_ on me and my family?"

Titania laughed, a most melodious sound. "I suppose you could word it like that, yes."

Sarah groaned. Great. Just fantastic. For six years some woman had invaded her and her family's privacy. For six years this woman had been spy...Wait. Stop. Rewind. Six years? Did she just say for the past six years she had been watching her? But, six years ago was her first journey to the Labyrinth. She had been watching her since the day she had left the Underground. But why? Why was her life so seemingly curious to this woman. To this queen. Didn't she have a kingdom to run or something instead of spying on a silly little mortal.

"Sarah, I can see in your eyes that you have many unanswered questions. But may I suggest that you have some breakfast first? Perhaps a hot bath as well. When you are refreshed and have a clear mind, I will answer as many questions as you like"

She rose elegantly from her seat and started towards the door. "I will have some breakfast prepared for you, it will arrive shortly. In the meantime, the bathroom is on the door to your right. Please, make yourself at home. I will send an escort to lead you to my private study in two hours time."

And with that, she was gone.

Sarah smiled despite herself. _'Well, I may be back in the Underground, but the company sure is alot kinder from the previous times'_

And she had to admit that a full belly and a hot bath sounded _very_ good to her at the moment. She had been assured that all of her questions would be answered, and though she knew full well not to take anything for granted and especially so in this place, she found that she believed her. Hopefully things would be settled and done so that she could go back home. Thoughts of her family consumed her. Were they okay? Was her father even alive? Were they safe?

The familiar feeling of anxiety tickled her insides and she swiftly squashed it. Right now there was nothing she could do. She was in an entirley different world, one she thought she would never see again. Surley if Titania had been watching her and her family this entire time, she could do so again to check on them for her. Just until she figured out how the hell she was going to get back home. The last time all she had to do to be sent back home was say six little words. But she wasn't dealing with the Goblin King this time. No, the castle beyond the goblin city was to the west of here. Hopefully to the far west of here. A reunion with the haughty king with the mismatched eyes she dearly wished she could forget was not something she thought she would enjoy, and something she very much hoped to avoid.

She sighed. "Well, come on feet."

Two hours later found Sarah dressed in a simple white gown and a pair, what she assumed, were glass slippers, and wandering behind a maid as she continued to weave through the confusing passages. She giggled to herself, she felt like Cinderella. At home in her palace, wearning an elegant gown and breakable glass slippers. The only thing missing was the handsome prince who had freed her from the grasp of her evil step-sisters and wicked step-mother. Breakfast had done wonders for her mood a hot bath had done wonders for her aching body, she felt refreshed and content, to an extent. While she couldn't wait to get home to her family she found herself feeling quite comfortable and at peace here in Avalon.

It certainly wasn't the mess and chaos of the castle beyond the goblin city, that was for sure. The Labyrinth, like its king, had an aura of mischief, trickery, fun and games. This place was the exact opposite. It was the epitome of tranquility. And though Sarah tried to hold her defensive barriers up in place she found they were quickly crumbling away, allowing the feelings of peace to leak through and drug her. In her head, she knew better than to let her guard down but she was starting to forget all the reasons why she shouldn't let it down.

She shrugged it off. She really had other things to be thinking about now. Besides, her head was a catastrophic mess at the moment, there was no way that she would be able to try to straighten her thoughts out anytime soon. As soon as she had the answers to her questions she could focus her thoughts elsewhere. But for the time being all she wanted to know was if her family was alright, and how to get back to them.

_Knock knock knock_

Startled by the abrupt noise, Sarah was shaken from her reverie. She realized that she now stood infront of two grand doors at which the maid had knocked upon, and they were awaiting permission to enter.

"Come in" a voice Sarah recognized as Titania's said from the opposite side of the doors.

The maid pushed open one great door and stepped aside to allow Sarah enterance, bowing deeply to her and the queen she backed away and shut the door to give the two women their privacy. Sarah stood in the doorway admiring the room, it was elegant and calming and filled with shelves of books and scrolls. It reminded her of her father's study save for the fact that this room was at least three times the size of the study.

"Please come and sit, Sarah. I have prepared tea for us" Titania said, gesturing to the large armchair with a large cushion in the seat and the steaming cup of tea on the small table that sat between herself and Sarah.

"Thank you" Sarah said as she sat down and took her cup, blowing slightly on the hot beverage before bringing it to her lips and taking an experimental sip. It was sweet and fruity, a most odd combination but she thought it was most relaxing.

"Wow, this is delicious" Sarah said before taking another sip.

Titania smiled at the compliment. "Thank you. It is called moldyberry tea." Her smiled widened at the look on Sarah's face. "There is a berry that grows in the forest to the west, the moldy berry. When they were first discovered they were not very popular due to their bitter and atrocious flavour, but when there was little food to be found people would eat them only to survive. It was not until one young lady had let the berries mold and then accidently spilled hot water on them, that their useage for tea began. When the hot water made contact with the berries there was a chemical change, and the foul smell turned into a fruity sweet fragrance. The young woman's curiousity peaked, she decided to taste it and found that it tasted as good as it smelled. And so, they have been a popular tea flavour ever since."

Sarah nodded her head. "Well, this is the second case of a tasty beverage that started out disgusting then turned out to be popular after a chemical change. In the Aboveground there is this type of coffee berry that is very popular, and the process of making it taste so good certainly does not sound good. There's a cat sized mammal that lives where this berry is grown, and they love to eat those berries. They eat the berries but the inner bean of the berry is not digested, and when it has a bowel movement the beans are collected, roasted and made into coffee. It has something to do with the enzymes in the stomach of the mammal that add to the coffee's flavor by breaking down the proteins that give the coffee its bitter taste."

Titania shook her head and laughed. "I must admit that does sound rather curious, but if I had the opporunity to taste it I would. Afterall, the best things can come from the strangest and most surprising places."

Sarah decided not to comment on that. She didn't know if she was making a reference to Jareth or not, and she would rather not dig up old feelings. She wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible before fate tried to intervene again and throw herself and Jareth in the same room.

"So Sarah, I understand that you have many questions for me"

It wasn't a question, more of a statement. Sarah nodded.

"Yes"

Titania inclined her head. "Please, feel free to ask how ever many you wish"

"Well, I guess the question I want answered most is about my family. You say you had been watching us for six years, and I was wondering if you could check on my family. I don't even know if my father is alive now."

The queen smiled fondly at the woman sitting infront of her. "Do not concern yourself with the welfare of your family, Sarah. I assure you that they are fine. Your father is receiving medical attention and the 'healers' say that the worst has passed and that he will be in full health soon. Your step mother and the young Toby are also in good health."

Sarah let out the anxious breath she had been holding in and relief swept over her. _'They're alright. Thank God they're alright'_

"Any other questions?"

Sarah nodded. "Yes. Like I said, you mentioned that you had been watching me and mine. What I would like to know is why?"

"Ah. Well for one thing, you were unlike the rest of the runners in the Labyrinth. Most would have given up once they came to the oubliette, most would have taken that dwarf's offer to return them to the beginning of the Labyrinth and thereby forfeiting the child to the Goblin King. But not you. Through many obstacles that stood in your path to keep you from your baby brother you overcame each and every one of them, and found your way to the castle beyond the goblin city and won back that which was more important to you than your own life. And you have proved this again not a few scant days ago, when you risked your life to save your family from danger.

Secondly, you were the first one to ever defeat the Labyrinth and win back the child. Quite a feat for a girl who was no more than a mere child at the time. Jareth had told me once before that he thought you were quite extraordinary, but not until that day did I believe his words. Most mortals are far too wrapped up in their own little worlds to care about others, be it family or not, and I found you quite the opposite. So intrigued was I by your victory over Jareth that I began to watch you from time to time. As time went on I became quite fond of you and your family, and started to understand why Jareth had watched you as he did."

Sarah's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wait wait wait! Did you just say that he used to watch me too?"

Titania nodded the affirmative. "That is correct."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "That I cannot say. You would have to ask Jareth that question yourself, Sarah."

"Then I would rather never know at alll" Sarah huffed, sitting back in her chair and bringing the cup to her lips once more.

Titania stifled a laugh and waited for Sarah to continue with her questions.

Sarah sat her cup back down and looked at the queen. "Would it be alright if I asked a more...personal question?"

Titania nodded.

"Why is it that you refer to Jareth by his name instead of by his title? Is it because you are royalty as well?"

"Well, that is part of it. In formal situations we are required to call each other by title rather than by name, this is true. But mostly the reason I call him by his name is because I am his mother."

Sarah's mouth hung open. His mother? She was sitting and talking to Jareth's mother? _**THAT **_was why her eyes looked so familiar! Even if hers were the same color, they both held that stormy and impish look in their eyes.

"Be at ease, Sarah. None of what is said here today will go further than this room."

"Oh, no. That was not what I was thinking at all!" Sarah hurried to apologize. "It's just that I am having difficulty understanding things. Like why would he have watched me in the first place? And for how long? And why me?"

"I may have an answer to your question, Sarah. But be aware that this is just from my eyes, not from Jareth's mouth. Things may be inaccurate"

"I will keep that in mind, but if you please, I would rather have guessed answer than no answer at all"

"Very well. It was about nine or ten years ago that Jareth came to me in private and asked me all that I knew about mortals. He had been to the Aboveground only a few times prior and on his last journey, he said he came across a most intriguing mortal girl. He quickly became fascinated and his trips to the Aboveground became increasingly frequent, travelling there the moment he had the time to spare.

A few times he had told me that this girl he went so often to see had the most fantastic dreams, that the scent of her dreams would keep him awake at night and that he was quickly becoming addicted to them. One day he came to me in an ecstatic state, telling me that he had given this woman-child a gift, a book. And a while after receiving the gift the young woman would escape to the privacy of a small park, dressed in a white flowing gown, and would rehearse the lines from the book as if she had lived it herself.

Then he started using his magic to give the girl whatever she desired without her knowledge. From behind the scenes he would manipulate time and space for her, tending to the girls every wish whatever it may be. In the next few years he told me that this girl was changing, becoming spoiled and angry and withdrawn. She cared only for her dreams, nothing more. While her dreams had been the thing that had lured him to her, he did not wish to see her inner fire extinguished. He wanted more than anything to help this girl and fan the fire within her.

So he placed a select group of goblin's within her home to watch her, knowing that she was so entranced with his gift, that she would eventually use her right words and call him to her. And once within his realm, he could help her see the error of her ways and change it before her rage consumed her. And this girl, this young woman-child, would be the only one to solve the Labyrinth."

"M-me?" Sarah sputtered.

"Yes Sarah, you."

"So his gift, that book, he gave me The Labyrinth?"

Titania nodded.

"But if he had been watching me all this time, why did I never see him?"

"Are you sure you never saw him, Sarah? Or are you just taking it for granted that you haven't?" Titania asked, her lips quirking up into a playful grin, holding out her hand and presenting Sarah with a white feather.

A feather? ... A _FEATHER! _Didn't Jareth transform into an owl after she had spoken those final words to him? An owl! Like the one that she had seen so often at the park? Where she used to go? In a flowing white gown?

"Ah, I see you understand now, Sarah"

Sarah held a hand to her head as she tried to ward off the headache she knew was brewing in her temples. "Wait a second. You're telling me that when I was 13 or 14 years old my dreams attracted Jareth to me, all the way from the Underground, and that he had been watching me in the same time frame that my mother divorced my father and then until Irene and Toby walked into the picture. Then he just started granting all of my wishes, and when my attitude started going downhill he devised a plan in order to help me, a plan involving giving me that book and knowing that I would get so wrapped up in it that I would eventually wish Toby away to him, and when I was at his mercy he would help me with all my problems?"

Titania chuckled. "Something like that."

_'Well, that explains why he had said those things before. About how I had turned his world upside down, how he had done everything for me, how he had been so generous'_

"So, were there any other questions for me, my dear?"

Sarah shook her head. "No. I think I have enough information to chew on for now"

Titania nodded, but continued to speak.

"Are you at all familiar with what the mortals of the Aboveground call Greek mythology, my dear?"

Sarah thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No, I'm afraid I don't. I mean, I had to learn a little bit of it while I was in school. But I have long since forgotten"

Titania nodded. "Then allow me to tell you a story about a woman named Persephone. She was the daughter produced by the union of Zeus and Demeter. Zeus was the king of the God's, and Demeter was the Goddess of grain and fertility, called 'Mother Earth' by some . Thus, the joining of two such immortals led to the birth of an angelic and radiant daughter, though unlike every other offspring of a pair of deities she held no stable position at Olympus, home of the God's. Naturally as the girl grew with time Gods, specifically Hermes, Ares, Apollo, and Hephaestus, all had their eye on her and had all wooed Persephone; but Demeter rejected all their gifts and whisked her daughter away from the company of the deities to a secluded spot so that she may live her life in peace and tranquility.

But it was not to be. For there was one other God that had his eye on the fair maiden. Hades, the lord of the Underworld. The story goes that Persephone was picking flowers in a lush field when suddenly Hades came to abduct her, bursting through a cleft in the earth and stealing her away to the Underworld to be his queen. Devestated by the disappearance of her daughter, Demeter neglected her duties and scoured the earth, searching for her daughter. Being the goddess of the harvest, she also controlled the seasons, and because of that she was capable of destroying all life on earth. Eventually, the God Helios, the sun, who sees everything, told Demeter what had happened.

Finally, Zeus, pressed by the cries of the hungry people, attempted to force Hades to return Persephone to life aboveground. However, it was a rule of the Fates that whoever consumed food or drink in the Underworld was doomed to spend eternity there. Hades, knowing this and wishing to keep his treasure, tricked her into eating four pomegranate seeds, thereby sealing her fate. But upon this revelation, Persephone became distant and intensley depressed at the thought of being seperated from her mother for all eternity. And so Hades, out of love for Persephone, made a deal with Zeus and Demeter. He would allow Persephone to return aboveground, but for one season each year she would return to the Underworld. When mother and daughter were finally reunited, the earth came back to life and flourished with vegetation and color. But for some months each year, when Persephone returned to the underworld, the earth once again became a barren realm."

Sarah sat in silence as she listened to the beautiful voice of Titania as she told her story, occasionally taking a sip of her tea.

"That's a nice ending" she smiled, "Even if Hades did trick her into eating food of the underworld, he did it out of passion. And he let her go back Aboveground out of love"

Titania's eyes twinkled in impish delight. "I must say that I am very pleased that you feel that way, Sarah."

Sarah raised one eyebrow. "Oh?"

The queen smiled. "Quite pleased, indeed. You see, while it may be Greek mythology to mortals in the Aboveground, in all actuality the 'myth' if you will, originated here in the Underground."

"Really?" Sarah asked curiously.

"Really" Titania affirmed, looking purposefully into Sarah's eyes. "Infact, the rule of The Fates is still in effect to this very day"

Sarah nodded slowly, bothered by the look in Titania's eyes. Was she trying to tell her something? Something important?

_'However, it was a rule of the Fates that whoever consumed food or drink in the Underworld was doomed to spend eternity there'_

_'While it may be Greek mythology to mortals in the Aboveground, in all actuality the 'myth' if you will, originated here in the Underground."_

'_The rule of The Fates is still in effect to this very day'_

Then it hit her, and her world came to a screeching halt.

Whoever consumed food or drink was doomed to spend eternity there. Not the Underworld, but the Underground. _**SHE**_ had eaten food from the Underground! _**SHE**_ was doomed to spend the rest of eternity here! Jareth had _**forced**_ Hoggle to give her that peach, that drugged peach that had nearly made her loose her memory. _**HE**_ had tricked her! Again! He had led her on to think that she had won, when in reality he had _allowed_ her to go home.

Sarah trembled and for a moment Titania thought she was going to burst out in tears, but then she saw the underlying fury that she was trying with great difficulty to hold back. She was very angry.

_'May the God's take mercy on you, my son. For the woman that you have chosen just may be the death of you, and it just may be by her own two hands that you meet your doom' _Titania snickered inwardly.

"Sarah, are you alright?" she asked as she watched the young woman vibrate with ferocity, her aura screaming bloody vengeance.

Sarah shot up out of her chair. "**THAT NASTY, NO GOOD, CHEATING, LYING, TWO FACED SNAKE IN THE GRASS!**"

Titania cringed as Sarah's voice rose to a nasty shrill cry but she remained seated and the picture of tranquility. She would let Sarah have her outburst. She needed to vent, otherwise the queen feared that she would spontaneously combust from the pressure that had been building inside of her. So she decided to keep a calm outward appearance as to not further fan the righteous flames of Sarah's wicked fury, and kept her amusement well hidden.

Meanwhile Sarah was pacing back and fourth in long strides, too caught up in her anger to care if anyone witnessed her temper tantrum.

"I can't believe he tricked me like that! I can't believe I'm stuck here. I can't believe I ever thought that...auuugh! That insufferable jerk! Just you wait till I see him! No one will be able to recognize him once I'm through with him. I'm going to beat his pretty little face in with the biggest bat I can find! He'll be sucking his meals through a straw for the rest of his life! And then, I'm _**NEVER EVER**_ speaking to him again! He can forget ever being so much as friends with me! He can stick that mighty goblin throne of his right up his ass for all I care!"

She panted as the fire burning within her started to die down as she continued to rant. She was pissed off. And not just at Jareth, but pissed off at herself as well. But mostly at Jareth. She should have known better. She should have seen through his trickery and deceit. She should have assassinated the feelings that he aroused within her the moment she felt them. She should have never even given hope that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't lying to her. When he had sung that song to her in that ballroom, danced with her in the sugar spun dress that she wore, he had been deceiving her.

_'It was all just an act. An act to try to hinder me. It was all just one big lie. And I fell for it. He must think me foolish, just a stupid little mortal girl who fell victim to his words and empty promises. And I fell for it all'_

Her anger died as depression and hurt overcame her, and she shook now with the effort of holding back her tears. All of those years she had spent thinking that she had misjudged him, thinking that she was just taking his tricks the wrong way, that there was something more behind them then what she had first thought. But now there was no doubt in her mind. The goblin king had nothing wanted more than to humiliate and break her, and to keep Toby and turn him into one of his nasty little goblin underlings. These facts caused a great pain to throb in her chest, a pain so strong that it knocked a bit of wind from her lungs. Her frown deepend. No. She wouldn't let her feelings get the best of her, wouldn't let _him_ get the best of her. She was stronger than that. And she'd prove it, too.

Narrowing her eyes and staring off into the distance, she spoke slowly to the queen she had all but ignored up until now.

"Pardon me your highness, but if it is alright with you I would like some time alone to think. I have a great deal of adjusting to do."

Titania blinked at the young woman, but nodded her head. "Of course. Feel free to roam wherever you like, for this is your home now."

"Thank you, your highness"

And with that, Sarah stalked away from the queen, out the door and down the passages of the halls. She spoke only once to a passing servant and only to ask him if he could point her in the direction of the guest room. When she arrived safely to her room, all of the emotions that were coursing through her made their escape. Fear. Home sickness. Sorrow. Regret. Confusion. They all hit her with such intensity at once that Sarah did the only thing she could do. She dived into her bed, curled up into a tiny ball and cried herself to the point of exhaustion.

As she lay asleep a pair of bright blue eyes watched her from a crystal ball. Titania's heart went out to the girl, and she wished that she could do something to help relieve her of so much pain. She knew that once the girl knew that she would probably never see the Aboveground again she would be fraught with pain and agony, but she needed to know. She needed all the information where Jareth and herself were concerned, so that when the time came she could make a decision based on the whole truth, not half truth's and assumptions.

"Dear Sarah," she whispered softly to the image reflected in her crystal ball, "do not fret or worry. All will be well soon. Have you forgotten not to take so many things for granted, young one? Have you not learned that things are not always as they appear to be?"


	5. Chapter 5

Jareth sighed for the umpteenth time that day, looking at the stacks of paper work that littered his desk with disdain. If only he could make them all just disappear. No matter how many papers he signed there always seemed to be innumerable amounts on his desk, all of them vying for his attention. Ruling a kingdom was not an easy task like some might think, it wasn't all about just sitting on a throne and looking high and mighty. There were subjects to rule and keep in line along with the kingdom, and the goblins were not always so easy to keep in line.

An unruly bunch they might be but Jareth had grown quite fond of his little mischief makers, even if they were loud and the chickens that somehow always found their way into his throne room were more quick-witted than they. But their antics, more often than not, proved to be highly amusing. He supposed it was their playful nature that made them more tolerable because they had that in common, for he also had a very playful and mischievous side. Though that didn't mean that their stupidity made them any less annoying to deal with on a daily basis.

And not only was the constant supply of paper work getting on his last nerve, a sudden feeling in the pit of his stomach had formed four days ago, a feeling that he couldn't quite place his finger on. He only could say that it was not a necessarily 'good' feeling. That feeling combined with the loud and rowdy goblins outside his office door only served to intensify his headache, and he had the distinct feeling that things would get quite interesting very soon.

"Your majesty! Your majesty!!"

He sighed. He hated it when he was right.

"Enter"

The door pushed open to reveal three frantic goblins who were all tripping over themselves in an attempt to rush to the desk and bow before their king, and despite his headache he found the corners of his lips quirking into a small grin.

"Your majesty! The lady!" one little goblin shouted.

Jareth frowned. "What lady?"

"The lady that ate the peach and almost forgot everything!" another one shouted, waving his arms about wildly.

That was when Jareth recognized the three of them. These were the three goblins he had sent to the Aboveground to keep an eye on Sarah, to keep watch over her where he could not and see to it that no harm befell her. Spittle, Quark and Crummis, if he remembered correctly.

His frown deepend. "What of her?"

"She's gone!"

He shot up out of his chair, knocking his desk and sending his papers flying in every direction.

"_**WHAT?! **_What do you mean she's _gone_? When did this happen??!! How could that be?! Explain yourselves!!" he roared, hovering over the three goblins who now cowered before him.

"We is sorry, your majesty! We didn't means to loose track of the lady!" the one called Spittle cried.

"She went to the young master's and we tried to follow, but she was in her shiny fast thing with wheels and we couldn't keep up. We followed her aura but before we got to the young master's, she disappeared." Crummis explained quickly.

"We looked for the lady, we did! For four days!" Spittle said

"Yes, we looked for the lady!" Quark nodded, "But we couldn't find her. She was tricksy!"

"There were only three strange humans in the house. Humans we never saw before. New humans. Bad humans with rotten aura's. They smelled worse than the bog!" Crummis said, wriggling his pig-like nose in distaste.

Jareth narrowed his eyes. Something was afoot, and he didn't particularly like to be a player, he much rathered be the instigator.

"I see. And what of the young master?" he inquired.

"Young master is okay. We could feels the lady's aura on him, like a shield." Quark said.

"We could feel the lady's aura in the house, too. Bad aura in there, it was." Crummis cocked his head to the side, trying to explain the feelings he had felt. "It was like....lady was...afraid.."

Jareth didn't like this. Not one bit.

"Why did it take so long for this to be brought to my attention?"

"We didn't know the lady had disappeared. We thought she went some other place. We went and looked everywhere." Crummis tried to explain, fearing that in the next blink of his eye he would be falling into the bog of eternal stench.

"You three are dismissed. I will handle things from here." Jareth said, waving a hand dismissively.

They nodded and scurried out of the room, just thankful to not have been tipped head first into the bog of eternal stench, or worse.

As quick as the door shut Jareth summoned his magic and disappeared from his office and transported himself to the doorway of the house where he had first met Sarah, and in later years, Toby. As he looked upon the grand blue house he felt a sense of danger, though he knew any threat was long gone because he could sense no presences within the household. The strange aura seemed to linger on this house for some reason, and it only made that strange feeling in his gut worse.

_'Just what on earth happened here?' _he wondered silently to himself, walking through a strip of yellow tape and into the house.

The stench of blood that invaded his nostrils upon entrance was nearly too much for him and he had to cover his nose with his sleeve, the smell was so overpowering that he nearly missed the faint smell of Sarah's aura altogether. The goblins had been correct, Sarah's aura was drenched with fear. But fear of what?

He followed the faint traces of her aura from the doorway to a door that led to the kitchen, past a strange outline of what Jareth guessed to be a human body that was drawn on the floor in chalk, and looked inside where her aura slightly switched from fear to panic, sadness and...courage? He looked around the room. Pots and pans and all kinds of different kitchen utensils littered the floor and a pool of blood that was turning old and crusty lay in the corner, two chairs sat beside one another in the middle of the room with a small pile of cut ropes behind them, and he guessed that someone had been in bondage. That would explain the feeling of courage that he sensed. A small smile formed on his lips for that was the Sarah he remembered, a young teenage girl rushing headfirst into unknown dangers to save the one she held so dearly close in her heart. The other thing that he noticed in the room was another strange chalk outline.

Upon closer inspection he felt that this was one of the strange humans that his goblins had told him about, and he now understood what they had meant when they said these human's aura's were rotten. The air was thick with evil intentions and malice. Looking back towards the first chalk outline he felt the same sensation. So, that was two very naughty humans. Where was the third? Could this person have something to do with Sarah's disappearance?

Fear gripped the Goblin King's heart in a vice like grip. It was time to find out what happened in this house just before he went mad with the possibilities, and with a wave of his hand he called on the memories of the house to fill in the puzzle pieces. He stepped back when a translucent figure of a woman appeared before him, a cloth in one hand and strange yellow can in the other. He recognized this woman as Sarah's step-mother, Irene. She looked content as she bustled about her home, humming a tune he was not familiar with and a small smile on her rose coloured lips.

A series of knocks sounded at the front door and he didn't miss the raised eyebrow of the woman as she headed towards the door, setting down her cleaning supply's on a small table that sat just before the front door. She was not expecting company, and she had certainly not been expecting the sight she was met with at the front door. Jareth craned his head to see Sarah's father standing at the doorway with a pistol pointed at his head by one of three men clothed in black, a second one armed with a shotgun and the third toting a thick coil of rope on his shoulder stood behind him, an apologetic look in his eye as he looked at his wife.

One of the men pushed his way into the house and grabbed Irene by the arm, bid his two companions to enter and shut the door behind them, while he dragged the visibly shaking woman towards the kitchen. Sarah's father grudgingly allowed the man behind him to shove him forward and Jareth could see the flame of anger that had ignited behind his eyes, and that it was directed at the man who had taken his wife. His jaw tightened and his fists clenched at his side, but he remained quiet.

Jareth followed behind them and stopped at the kitchen doorway and watched as one of the men grabbed two chairs from the dining room and forced Irene and her husband, Robert he recalled, to sit and remain still as their hands were yanked behind them and tied securley. He listened to the men demand that they hand over all their money and promises not to harm them if they did as they were told, to which Robert promptly spat at the man and openly glared at him only to be hit upside the head with the barrel of a gun and knocked unconscious.

It was then that Merlin came trotting down the stairs, most likley disturbed by all the noise and anxiety, and headed to the kitchen. He was immediatley kicked into the corner and shot. Jareth winced at the sight, and watched as Irene cried and screamed and squirmed in her chair, tugging at the bonds that held her fast. One of the men produced a roll of duct tape from his pocket and swiftly covered the terror-stricken womans mouth, as well as Robert's, reducing her screams to a muffled noise. The man with the pistol resumed his demands of money, and when he went unanswered, he vented his anger by knocking things from their places on the counters, only serving in upsetting the woman more.

The man tore open cupboard doors and sent the expensive china dishes flying across the room, shattering upon impact with the wall and falling to pieces on the floor and smiling as the woman flinched each time. In a matter of minutes the room became unrecognizable and still the man hollered for Irene to tell him where the money was hidden, but she only shivered and shook in response.

It was then that Jareth's keen ears picked up the sound of a vehicle parking itself outside the house, and though he hated to leave the scene before him he felt it was important that he see who was outside the doors now. A gut feeling, if you will, and over the countless years he had come to trust these feelings. He walked right through the door and was greeted with the sight of an older and more mature Sarah Williams, and an older Toby as well. He had turned out just as Jareth thought he would and he smiled as the young boy talked animatedly with a young woman Jareth was not familiar with.

He took a better look at Sarah and frowned at what he saw. She was anxiously looking towards the house with a hint of fear deep in her eyes, a look that he thought did not suit her at all. She looked from the house to her two companions who were completley oblivious to the dangers lurking nearby and then back at the house, and the look in her eyes switched from fear to determination. That's when he understood. She knew something wasn't right, though he wasn't sure that she actually knew what was wrong, she definatley knew that danger was creeping about.

She started a slow pace towards the entrance to the house and just before she got to the door Toby was darting towards the door, yelling something to his parents in oblivious excitement. He saw Sarah turn wide eyes to her younger brother and shot both arms out to catch him before he could enter, the momentum making her stumble back onto the lawn.

He smiled. _'Those three did say that they had felt Sarah's aura on him, like a shield they said.'_

There was some confusion that came from Toby and the other young woman directed at Sarah, but the look in Sarah's eyes made them silent and slightly aware of the sense that not everything was okay. She sent Toby with her friend with promises that she would be back soon and then turned her back on them and moved towards the house once more. She took a deep breath once she reached the door and then slowly pushed it open, exhaling when no sound came from the hinges.

He followed her over the threshold and watched as she crept silently through the entrance, her eyes were weary and alert and dashing all over the place for any signs of movement and her stance low to the ground. They both jumped as a loud 'clang' sounded from the kitchen and Jareth walked to the kitchen door to see the man throwing a fit, then turned back to Sarah who was struggling to stay composed. After a moment she started creeping slowly towards him and he instinctivley backed a few steps away from her, watching as she slid along the frame of the door to peek her head inside, his heart clenching as he saw the panicked look in her eyes.

He watched as Sarah took in the scene before her and watched as one man threatened her father with the shotgun and then grabbed Irene by the hair and yanked the tape from her mouth, and after a few agonizing moments, her step-mother and her made eye contact. The fear emanating from both women was nearly tangible as they stared at each other, both obviously concerned for the other's safety and both wanting to save each other. Irene's eyes were desperate and after a minute she croaked out the location of the money.

Two men left in search of it while one man stayed behind, and Jareth watched as the warrior spirit that slept within Sarah woke up. Her eyes flashed dangerously at the man who foolishly turned his back on her and she crept like a cunning feline behind her prey, snatched up an iron pan and knocked the man's head and sent him sprawling. With only a moment's hesitation she grabbed the gun and a stray knife and cut her step-mother free from her bondage and then went to her father to check his pulse, obviously finding one she handed Irene the knife and told her to cut her father loose while she kept watch and disappeared around the corner.

After a few moments she reappeared just as Irene cut through the last of the ropes, and together they struggled with the weight of the unconcious man to the doorway. A sense of relief washed over the both of them until the slamming of a door and an angry shout filled the house, and relief was replaced by anxiety once more. If possible the warriors spirit within Sarah burned brighter and Jareth stood in silent awe, and without hesitation and ignoring the cries of her step-mother, Sarah shoved her father into the embrace of his wife and shut the door on them.

Jareth's heartbeat quickened. Was this woman insane? Was she trying to get herself killed? He wanted very much to ask her until he remembered that this was nothing more than an illsion, the memories of the house replaying themselves at his command. Sarah looked at the gun in her hands, nodded and made a dash towards the stairs, hiding herself. When the two men came around the corner in search of their captives she held out her arm and pulled the trigger, sending the bullet flying into the head of one of the men and killing him instantly. Had he never seen it with his own eyes Jareth would have never believed it nor thought her capable of such a thing, but he understood that Sarah was only doing what she knew had to be done to ensure the safety of her family.

"You little bitch"

_BANG!!!_

Jareth's heart nearly stopped when Sarah's head narrowley avoided the bullet from the shotgun, and for a moment he forgot how to breath. He exhaled sharply when Sarah bolted from her place and scurried up the steps, the man not far behind her. He darted up the stairs, after them, noting the pistol that lay forgotten on the ground and watched for a minute as the man pounded violently on the door, and then he passed through said door to find Sarah who had just now realized that the pistol was missing.

_Crack!_

Jareth turned his head to look at the door that was slowly giving way to the onslaught of force from the opposite side, then looked back at a very frightened Sarah. His heart ached at the sight of her so overwhelmed by fear, and he decided that he never wanted to see such a look on her face ever again and would everything in his power to see to it that nothing ever caused her to make that face again.

A sudden blinding light forced Jareth's eyes shut for a moment, holding up a hand to shield his now bleary eyes. The light had been reflected off of the mirror on an old dresser, Sarah stared deep into the mirror for a moment before her eyes widened and she whipped around towards the window. Rushing over to it she was barley able to budge the stubborn thing but he suspected that the incessent pounding and sounds of splintering wood gave her the necessary strength to heft the window up just enough so that she could squeeze out.

It was quite a tight fit but she somehow managed to get through, but she foolishly let her guard down. She hadn't heard the breaking of the door as the man finally burst through nor the angry footsteps towards her, a scowl set on his face. She only realized her mistake when the man reached through the window and grabbed her wrist. It was a tug of war now and even as hard as Sarah struggled to break free from this man he was over powering her.

He watched as the man succeeded in pulling her closer and closer to him, a sadistic look in his eyes, and then they were face to face through the thin pane of glass. Sarah stared in fear for a moment before pulling back harshly and screaming.

"NOOOOOOO! I WISH SOMEONE WOULD HELP ME RIGHT NOW!!!!!!"

Jareth's eyes widened at the words and he watched as the man lost his footing and jolted forward, catching himself with his free hand on the window frame. When the window shook free and came crashing down on the man's wrist Jareth initially thought it was just a stroke of luck, but the small whisper of fae magic that came loose with the window told him otherwise. But at the moment he couldn't even begin to think about that, for at the moment Sarah was flying backwards off the roof and towards the earth below.

He rushed forward and out through the window, completley ignoring the man who was writhing in agony and bleeding freely, his only thoughts on seeing what became of Sarah. He arrived just in time to watch as Sarah's mouth opened in a silent scream, the look in her eyes making his blood run cold, and then the most curious thing happened. A small portal opened up underneath her and swallowed her whole, then sealed up as if it had never been there.

He stared at the spot for a few more minutes trying to make sense of what he had seen. Sarah had said her right words, so why hadn't he heard her? Someone had helped her. A fae. He turned on his heel and walked back towards the window and put a gloved hand to it, a tiny lightning bolt rushed up his arm and he realized that he knew the weilder of this magic. His mother.

So, she had been watching over Sarah, had she? She was the one responsible for helping Sarah escape the maniac who was now minutes away from losing consciousness due to blood loss, and he was certain that she was also the one responsible for the portal that had opened under Sarah. If his mother were behind these things, and his goblins were unable to find Sarah here in the Aboveground, that left him with only one plausible scenario. His mother had taken Sarah to the Underground, to Avalon.

He grinned. His plans were now set in motion, although not by his hand, but that mattered little now. What mattered was that Sarah was back in the Underground and only a short trip away.

"I think I foresee a visit to Avalon in the very immediate future" Jareth laughed, waving his hands and vanishing.

* * *

Titania hummed a cheery tune as she walked the pathways of her garden, a favourite pastime of hers. She knew it was only a matter of time until Jareth would arrive seeking out Sarah, and she smiled as she imagined the different scenario's upon their reunion. Now that Sarah knew the implications of eating that peach six years ago she imagined that she would be none to happy to see her son, giggling to herself as she remembered Sarah's little tirade in her office this morning.

And though she loved her son very dearly she felt that he would be getting no less than he deserved. A woman's heart was a delicate thing and a mortal's heart was even that much more fragile, they had to be handled with care and love. Jareth loved this mortal she knew but his passion had driven him to do the one thing that should never be done to someone you love. He deceived her. He was blind with love and couldn't stand to be apart from her for all eternity, and so in desperation he had bound her to him permanently.

She had left out a detail concerning the peach, but she thought it was for the best. The poor girl had enough on her plate as it was and she didn't want to add anymore to it. And besides, it would be best if Jareth was the one to fill her in on that little detail. She just hoped that she was around when he told her.

A gentle breeze swept past her and she smiled knowingly, turning around to face the Goblin King.

"Good afternoon, Jareth. What a pleasant surprise."

He bowed slightly. "Good afternoon mother, how have you and father been faring?"

"Ah, you know how it is my dear. Always work to be done."

He nodded. "Mother, it has come to my attention that you have in your house a new guest."

Titania's eyebrow rose. "Oh? And where did you hear this rumour, my son?"

Jareth chuckled. "Funny you should ask. You remember that mortal from about ten years ago, correct?"

She nodded and he continued.

"Well certain situations have brought to my attention the fact that you have been watching her as of late, and in doing so, you were able to intervene on my behalf and save her life. I thank you for it, Mother"

She smiled at her son who bowed before her. "Rise Jareth, there is no need for protocol here. She is a sweet young girl, but know that the only reason I was able to help her at all was because she wished it"

Jareth nodded. "Which is another thing. Why did I not hear her when she spoke her right words?"

"I do not know" Titania shrugged. "She is bound to you and by all rights you should have heard her wish for help and feel her distress. Yet it was I that felt her anxiety and heard her cries for assistance."

He sighed. Things were not adding up but he pushed it to the back of his mind, all that mattered right now was that Sarah was safe.

"Where is she?"

"She inhabits the guest room in the west wing of the castle. But for now, my son, come sit and drink tea with me. We have things we must discuss before you two meet again."

Jareth cocked his head to the side as he watched his mother walk ahead of him. They had things to discuss? Whatever could they need to discuss? He followed after his mother with an irritable sigh. He wanted to see Sarah but it seemed that it would have to wait for now.

They continued to walk until the came to the center of the garden to a table that sat with a steaming pot of tea ready for them, Titania sat and Jareth poured them both a cup and then was seated himself, waiting for his mother to initiate the conversation. She sipped slowly at her tea much to Jareth's displeasure and he found himself taking a sip of his own tea in an attempt to calm his nerves. He was antsy to say the least. Only a few short hours ago did Sarah's disappearance come to his attention and he went to seek answers at her former residence, there he watched as Sarah's family was taken hostage and then liberated by Sarah who risked her own life to see to it that her family escaped. _THEN_ in the confusion and anxiety of it all he detected his mother's magic helping to rescue Sarah as she wished that someone would help her, and he had not even heard her. He was confused and relieved at the same time and wanted the opportunity to see Sarah for himself, just to see for himself that Sarah was indeed unharmed.

"Patience my son, have patience. You will see her soon" Titania said wisely from her seat, watching her son with knowing eyes and a grin on her lips.

He sighed. He never had been able to fool her.

"So, what was it that you wished to speak with me about?"

Titania set her cup back on the table and looked at her son.

"She's quite a curious mortal, isn't she? And to have bested the Goblin King in his own kingdom, she has strength as well as wits."

He quirked one eyebrow. "Is this what you wanted to talk to me about? My selection of women?"

She laughed. "No. I was merely making an observation."

"How long have you watched her for?"

"Six years. The day she came to the Underground in search of her infant brother."

"I see."

Titania eyed her son for a moment before speaking again.

"She knows." she simply said.

Jareth blinked. "Knows? Knows what?"

"The story the mortals call 'The abduction of Persephone' "

"You told her?!"

She nodded. " I did"

"Why??"

"Because she deserved to know. If she is to remain here then she should know the facts, and the quicker she knows the better off she will be. She is no longer struggling blindly in a world she has no understanding of. Now she can see clearly."

Jareth sighed heavily. It seemed that while his plans were indeed set in motion, they were not going as he had planned them at all. He _had_ planned on telling her that story, but not so soon. He had wanted her to get more adjusted to this world before he divulged that particular piece of information. But he guessed his mother was right, even if he hated to admit it.

"Was she very upset?"

She smirked. "I do believe she mentioned something to the effect of beating your pretty little head in with the biggest bat she could find, and that you could shove your throne up your rear end"

He chuckled. Well, at least she thought he had a pretty head. That was progress, at least.

"My son" Titania said gently, leaning over the table to lay a compassionate hand on his, "her heart is broken now. She feels she will never see her family again and she is in agony over the loss, and she is hurt from deceit on your part."

"Deceit?" he echoed

"Yes. I feel that she does not understand everything that transpired between the two of you during her visit to your kingdom. I could feel her sorrow after her anger had died down. I believe that she thinks you were doing all in your power not to capture her heart, but to hinder her progress to save the infant."

Jareth was stunned into silence. So the look he had seen in her eyes that night before they were seperated wasn't a figment of his imagination. He had thought he saw an emotion that could have been labeled as regret in her eyes, but he had been so caught up in trying to make her understand just what it was that he was offering her that he thought it his eyes playing cruel tricks. She regretted saying those words. She regretted leaving.

With the help of his mother Jareth had an epiphany. She had truly thought that he would turn Toby into a goblin and thought him nothing more than an insidious villain, until perhaps the end. Those emotions he had seen in her eyes that night told him that she might have slightly understood his offer but was too afraid to take it, too afraid at being tricked into giving someone her heart that could very well have thrown it back in her face. Afterall, how could she trust him? She only knew of him from the book he had given her all those years ago, and then when they finally met face to face she was given the impression that he was her enemy.

As he thought, he couldn't really blame Sarah for rejecting his offer when she did. Not that it had mattered in the long run. Once he was in the same room with her, spoke to her, was so close to her body, he knew that he would never survive if they were ever apart forever. So he forced the dwarf to give her the enchanted peach knowing that he was far too cowardly to refuse a man who struck so much fear into his heart, and the moment she bit into the flesh of the fruit she was bound to the Labyrinth, to him, forever.

In hindsight it probably hadn't been the smartest move he had ever made. Deception and deceit were not primarily the ways to go about winning a woman's heart, and he now cursed his foolishness. His blind passion could very well have Sarah hate him for the rest of her life. Which reminded him...

"Does she know about the other spell on the peach?"

Titania shook her head. "She does not. I figured that you should be the one to tell her, since it is you that she hates at the moment there is no need for me to tell her and have her turn her fury and hate on me. No, I think not. I wish very much for the two of us to become good friends."

Jareth smiled and laughed. "How right you are, mother. There is no need for Sarah to misplace her fury or her hatred. I am the one who will bear that burden alone."

Titania squeezed her son's hand. "Do not despair, Jareth. For there is hope."

"There is?"

She nodded. "Yes. But dear, try not to screw up again. I get the feeling that this young woman does not trust so easily, especially to someone who has already proven themselves a liar" She grinned.

"I am an honest liar, dear mother." he laughed before fading away, his laughter caught in the wind.

Titania chuckled as she picked up her cup and took another sip of her tea.

"Things seem to be getting quite interesting around here. I wonder where the dice of fate will lay when it is all said and done?"

* * *

Sarah sat on her bed trying to sort out her thoughts. After her talk with the queen earlier this morning she had alot of information to digest. For one thing, not only had Jareth tricked her into believing that his feelings for her were romantic, he had also forced Hoggle into making her eat that peach which, according to rules she hadn't even known existed, meant that she was now trapped here in the Underground until the Goblin King said otherwise.

She was completley cut off from her family in a world that she barley understood, forced to stay here by rules that she hadn't even known about at the time.

"That time shouldn't even be counted," she huffed to herself, "I mean, I didn't know what I was doing. Nobody told me there were any rules like that! It should be null and void under the circumstances that I had no clue!"

Her anger was fast returning the more she thought about it, her depression burning to ash as the intense flames spread through her entire body.

"I was tricked, for God's sake!" she bellowed, getting up off her bed and starting to pace, "doesn't that count for anything? Doesn't anybody care about that? And another thing, isn't there some sort of punishment for interfering with a runner? It's not very fair for him to manipulate people to his advantage!"

_'It's not fair!' _a far away voice screamed at her, her own voice she realized, six years ago.

She stopped in mid-stride.

_'That's right, it's not fair. But that's the way it is'_

She smiled at the memory. She had told Hoggle that. After the whole incident with the cleaners and they had climbed up that ladder, Hoggle had told her that this was as far as he was going and that she was on her own. She begged to differ. He said he had no pride, which might have been true at the time, but he did have something precious to him. His jewels. She grabbed them and held them just out of his reach, taunting them as he tried to kick her and grab back his precious jewels.

_'Them's my rightful property. It's not fair!'_

She chuckled. That was the moment she really started to learn her lesson. Things weren't always as they seemed, and things weren't always fair, but that's just the way that it was. She really missed Hoggle. He had become one of her dearest and most valuable friends, even if he _was_ a grumpy ol' crotchety dwarf.

She sighed and plopped herself down in a seat that placed her infront of a large mirror and desk, groaning at herself. She looked horrible. Her hair was in a chaotic condition, her skin was pale, and she looked as though all the joy from her life had been sucked out of her.

_'It has been. I'll probably never see my family again.'_

"But, they're alive" she told herself, trying to find some measure of comfort. "So even if I never see them again, I at least know that I was able to save them. Toby will grow up to be a wonderful man, I'm sure of it"

She held back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes as she realized that she would never be able to watch Toby grow up and mature into a man, she wouldn't be there when he graduated, got a girlfriend, got married, got his first job or had kids of his own. She stared at herself in the mirror as she willed herself not to weep, looking deep within her own eyes as she tried to console herself.

"Your eyes can be so cruel" a voice said from behind her. A very familiar voice.

Sarah whipped around to find none other than Jareth, the Goblin King, leaning against the door that led to her balcony, dressed in black fitted breeches and black, shiny boots and his black cape. He looked just as he had that night when he came and took Toby.

She was a bit more than startled by his sudden appearance, and though she knew that she would be spending a very long time here she had hoped to avoid confrontation with him period. Even if her mind screamed that she had a bone to pick with this almighty pain in her ass.

"You..." she whispered when she finally found her voice, inching back from him and towards the bathroom door.

He grinned at her and cocked his head to the side, watching as she slowly tried to gain some distance from him.

"Hello precious" he said in a silky voice.

_'Run. Run. __**RUN!**'_ her mind screamed at her. And so she did. Bolting towards the bathroom door she shut it securely behind her and locked it. She stared at the door with wide eyes, as if it might come alive and devour her at any moment. So focused was she on the door that she did not notice the presence directly behind her, until it was too late.

"My my, Sarah. It seems you are not pleased at all to see me" he whispered softly over her shoulder.

She cried out in surprise as she turned to face him once more, but this time he was standing directly infront of her and the door stood directly behind her. She had nowhere to run. She flattened herself against the door, unable to speak and unable to take her eyes from his own. He took a step towards her and she finally found her voice.

"Stop! Don't come any closer!" she said, sounding pitiful even to her own ears.

His grin widened as he took another step towards her.

"I'm warning you!" she threatened.

Another step.

Without thinking she raised a hand and swung at him.

She wasn't expecting him to catch her hand. She gasped as he held her hand above her head with one hand and then used his free hand to capture her other wrist and pin both above her head with one hand. She was shaking now. What was he going to do to her? She saw his free hand reach out to her and she turned her head to the side. But he would have none of that. He gently took her chin in his thumb and index finger and forced her to look at him, then when he was sure that she wouldn't move again, he let her chin go and stroked her cheek, running his hand from her cheek to the back of her head.

He had her anchored in place with no means of escape. He smiled devilishly down at her and Sarah's traitorous heart did a funny flippy thing and she blushed, which only made his smile wider. Sarah opened her mouth to ask just what he thought it was he was doing, but before she had a chance to utter a single sound, his mouth was on hers.

Her entire body stiffened as he continued to assault her mouth with his tongue, and she started to struggle against him in an attempt to get free and bury the fuzzy tingling sensation his kiss was causing her to feel. But again he wouldn't have anything of the sort and he pushed his body against hers and continued his delicious kisses, trying to coax Sarah's tongue into action with his own.

She resisted his efforts at first, trying to shut her mouth and force him off of her. But he continued, thwarting her attempts to make him stop. A low but steady heat started to build in her stomach as he continued his ministrations and before she knew what she was doing, she was kissing him back, a moan escaping from the back of her throat and he swallowed it up like a starved man. She didn't know what had come over her but she was soon kissing him back with just as much passion as he, the heat building in her becoming nearly unbearable and searing every nerve ending in her body. Her entire body was reacting to him in a way she never thought possible and it scared her a little to think that someone could ignite such a fire within her.

When their mouths parted both were panting heavily, and Jareth noted with satisfaction that Sarah's eyes had glazed over in primal lust. He smirked. His mother was right, again. Apparently there was still some hope for him.

He leaned towards her, past her inviting mouth that tasted of honey, and whispered into her ear, making her shiver deliciously.

"Welcome back, precious"

And then he vanished, leaving Sarah to wonder just what the hell that was all about, and what she had gotten herself into.

* * *

Well, there you have it! Jareth's first appearance and Jareth and Sarah meet each other again! I wonder if Jareth is wondering the same thing you are, Sarah? Afterall, it is no ordinary girl who is able to solve the labyrinth and (seemingly) beat the Goblin King, the master of deception! Who is in over their head here? Haha. Consider the kiss to be my christmas gift to all my wonderful readers ^^

A very merry christmas, or happy hanukkah (whichever the case may be) to all my precious and wonderful readers! I hope 2010 finds you all well and blessed with much joy n_n Until next time,

KawaiiScorpio


	6. Chapter 6

Sarah stood glued to her spot against the bathroom door, a shaky hand touching her trembling lips and her mind whirling. What the HELL had just happened? What did he just do to her?! He _kissed_ her! That's what he had done! And she _allowed_ him to kiss her. Hell, she even responded to his kiss! What had she been thinking? _**WHY**_ had she allowed him to kiss her?

She slowly slid down the door to a seated position and pulled her legs up to her chest, trying to sort out her thoughts and her feelings. The feelings of his lips on hers, his tongue in her mouth tasting her, his body pressed up against her own. And then there was how her body had reacted to his ministrations. A heat that had ignited in the pit of her belly and had grown with intensity as time had progressed, and had not died as of yet. The way she had responded to his kiss with equal fervor and even going so far as to moan, though she hadn't intended to do that.

She hadn't intended to act the way she had at all. Since the new information that she had recieved from Titania she was ready to verbally rip him a new ass, but when he confronted her in her bedroom, she felt afraid of him. She wasn't sure why she felt so fearful of him because at the time he hadn't looked scary or intimidating or anything like the first night they had met, but rather he looked like a cat...on the prowl.

Maybe _that_ was what had scared her. The way he looked at her as he stood in the doorway, that predatory gleam in his eyes, looking almost like he was going to pounce on her, and the fact that her body _liked_ it. _Wanted_ it. Ever since the day she had left the Labyrinth behind, left him behind, no other man had made quite such an impact on her life as he did. She hadn't so much as even glanced at other men with any hint of interest and for years she could never figure out why that was, but now sitting there in the bathroom, she knew why. Her body had been waiting for Jareth and would accept no cheap substitutes. Had she not come back to the Underground she would never have been truly satisfied with any other man in the whole Aboveground, because her body had made its decision and would not back down.

_'Oh, well that's just fantastic. I could have lived my whole life wondering why it was that I was never one hundred percent satisfied with any man, and worrying about whether or not he was the problem or me. Turns out neither would have been the problem, the problem is Jareth'_

She started to internally fume as her memories reminded her that he had deceieved her before, and even if his kiss had curled her toes and caused a delicious fire to spark within her, he wasn't worth it. He wasn't worth crying over. He wasn't worth the risk. She didn't care if her body was never pleased with some other man, she flatly refused to play a puppet to him. Besides who knew how long his interest in her would last, seeing as how he decided he wanted to play with her some more. He did not love her and for him this was nothing more than a fling, a good place to stick it until he found someplace better.

She was _**NOBODY'S**_ slut. Least of all his.

Convinced that he wanted nothing more from her than bodily pleasures she wiped at her mouth with the sleeve of her dress, pushed herself to a standing position and swung the door open. If he had waited in her room to see her reaction to his kiss she'd show him, with a fist to his skull and a kick to his groin. Her eyes swept over the expanse of her bedroom but found nobody in sight, lucky for him. And though this bedroom was at least twice the size of her own at home she felt oddly suffocated, as if the room were closing in on her and she had no breathing space to speak of.

She shook her head. This was all that jerk's fault, playing with her like this and she swore that she'd somehow make him regret it. She wouldn't even give him the satisfaction of calling him by his given name, if they ever cross paths again his name would be whatever insult she could come up with. Play with a girl's heart would he? Dare to lead her on as if he cared? Use her as his own temporary and personal plaything? She thought not. Never.

She needed to get some air she decided, needed to get out of this stuffy room and away from all thoughts of him. A chance to explore her new surroundings and take in all the sights and sounds would do her good, because if she sat here and kept thinking about Jareth and examining all the feelings he always seemed to bring out in her, it was quite likley that she would go mad. Besides, why should she waste her time on him anyway? People like him didn't deserve her time, her friendship or her heart. That kiss was a one time deal and she really didn't care if her body protested to it or not, she would rather die a virgin than be his little personal harlot.

She held her head high and proud as she marched to her door and left the confines of her bedroom, stopping only once to ask a wandering maid the quickest route to the nearest door, and ventured out into the glorious afternoon air. It was a beautiful warm afternoon with a gentle breeze and Sarah's nerves were almost instantly eased, taking in a deep breath of the intoxicating air she began to walk and look around.

As far as the landscape was concerned things looked the same as it did Aboveground and she found the fact calming, she was in a whole new world now and its inhabitants and rules were very different from her own. But that the landscape was not very different gave her peace and courage, perhaps it would not be as difficult to adjust as she had previously thought and maybe she could settle into a good life here afterall. Besides she wasn't alone, she had friends here. She had Hoggle and Ludo and Sir Didymus to rely on and comfort her, and she knew that she could count on them for guidance in this strange land. But then she frowned. They all resided in Labyrinth, in _his_ kingdom, and she would rather gouge out her own two eyes with a rusty nail rather than return to that place. Much rather. Perhaps she could work out some sort of arrangment with Titania that would allow her to see her friends without having to set foot in the Goblin Kingdom.

Her feet walked on as her mind contemplated her new life and lead her to a row of hedges, a hedge maze she realized, stepping back a bit to look properly at it. What was it with these people and mazes, she wondered. Though she could tell it was nowhere near the size the Labyrinth had been it was still a decent size, yet this maze seemed friendlier than the Labyrinth had with its tiny flowers that decorated it.

Perhaps it was because she had been in such an urgent race against time that the Labyrinth had seemed so foreboding, and the fact that she was trying to cope with all the different creatures that inhabited said Labyrinth and that things weren't always as they appeared to be. Maybe she had misplaced her fear and anxiety onto the Labyrinth? She sighed. Well it wasn't as if she was going to ask for permission to go through the Labyrinth again just to explore it for curiosity's sake, so she decided that she would take the opporunity to explore this maze at her own leisure. It wasn't the Labyrinth, but she would have to make due with what she had.

Her stomach tensed a bit as she entered the maze but she forced it down, this was not the Labyrinth and she no time limit she reminded herself as she slowly started walk. It wouldn't do her any good to assosiate everything in the Underground with Jareth or his Labyrinth or else she just might never learn to like it here, though not everything in the Labyrinth had been bad but most things about Jareth left a bad taste in her mouth.

_'How about focusing your thoughts on solving this maze before we get lost?'_ her mind suggested helpfully.

Get lost? She huffed indignantly. If she could solve the monstrosity that was the Labyrinth than she could surley solve this hedge maze, piece of cake.

Two hours later Sarah was ready to rip out her hair. She was hopelessly lost.

_'You ever notice that bad things happen whenever you say 'piece of cake'? Really, you should stop saying that phrase before something __really__ bad happens'_

She growled as she turned another corner in the confusing network of intercommunicating paths and was met with a forked passage, but being too caught up in her anger at having gotten lost she really wasn't paying attention and just walked randomly down the right path. Even in her anger she could clearly remember a tiny voice cautioning her to _never_ go left, and even in the safety of the Aboveground she heeded the words.

_'By the way, I thought this little walk was supposed to calm your nerves? Not to piss you off more than you were before you started'_

"I'll calm down as soon as I stop kicking myself in the ass for being so foolish! You'd have thought I'd learned my lesson about taking things for granted by now, but noooooo!" she said bitterly to herself, cursing as she stopped and looked around helplessly at her surroundings. She had no idea which way she should go at all and it irked her. According to what Titania had told her earlier she was the first to ever solve the Labyrinth, and now here she was lost in a hedge maze.

"Wonderful. As if things weren't bad enough, now I've totally tarnished the honor I unwittingly carried all this time. Just spec-fucking-tacular"

If she had been a bit younger she would have sat right down and cried. Today was _NOT_ a very good day for her at all. Learning that she had been lied to and had little to no chances of going home coupled with that irritating jerk's kiss in the bathroom, and now she was lost. Her stress level was at it's maximum and in hindsight she thought that exploring a maze while in such emotional turmoil hadn't been the smartest choice she had ever made, but she had already done so and now it was time to deal with the consequences.

Then an idea struck her. It was because she had been to busy ranting and raving about this whole mess that had gotten her into this situation in the first place, she was too focused on complaining about the state of her life as it was now to pay attention to much else. So maybe if she could straighten out her chaotic thoughts then she might be able to think rationally enough to get herself out of this maze, at the very least maybe if she could organize her thoughts it might give her some peace of mind.

"What have I got to loose? It's worth a shot" she told herself, sitting down cross legged on the ground.

_'Alright, so because fate has some sort of grudge against me I'm stuck here in the Underground, and earlier today I learned that my first judgement of he who shall not be named turned out to be correct and he really is no more than a lying bastard. And then a few hours ago he appears in my bedroom and forces himself on me, so now because of that I'm lost in this maze.'_

_'You're lost in this maze because of your own anger' _her mind corrected her.

Sarah grit her teeth. "It was because of _him_ that I got angry in the first place"

_'Oh? Are you so sure of that? Wasn't it your reaction to him that made you angry?'_

She was silent. It was true. It was the emotions that his kiss had brought out in her that caused her so much anger, not the actual kiss itself.

She pouted like a spoiled child. "I don't care, it's still his fault somehow. If he hadn't kissed me then I wouldn't have reacted like that and I wouldn't be ... talking to myself like some kind of lunatic"

She sighed heavily. She wondered if at the end of the day she would go completley crazy. She was angry, hurt, confused and lost. She didn't understand why her body reacted to him in that manner when in her mind she was torturing him with sharp instruments, and why she was nearly powerless when he was near. He caused her to feel fear and doubt herself and she hated him for it, and she hated herself for her weakness as well.

_'So are you saying that you're weak now? Jareth will be pleased when he learns of this. It will make you much easier to break' _her mind snickered.

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "I am NOT weak!"

_'Yeah, whatever you say'_

"I will never yield to that man even if I spend the rest of my life here, he is nothing but a liar and a cheater and I want nothing to do with him!"

_'Sooo...you're just going to let him get away with what he did then?'_

Let him get away with it? Sarah blinked. She hadn't even thought of the possibilities of revenge, she was more concerned with just trying to avoid him for the rest of her natural life. But revenge? She smiled wickedly. Now that could be fun. For all the things he had done to her, all the lies and deceit and manipulations, she would find someway to repay the favour.

But....how? How did one exactley go about getting revenge on him? It wasn't like she had any magical powers of her own, if she had then she could just wave her hands about and give him an irremovable wart the size of a golfball on the end of his nose. See if he thought he was such hot stuff then!

"...Wait just a darn second...THAT'S IT! He thinks he's hot stuff! He think that just because I blushed and reacted to his kiss a little bit that he has the advantage over me! He probably thinks that just by wriggling his eyebrows and flashing me a smile he can reduce me into a puddle of girlish goop and make me his willing slave! Well you have another thing coming, Goblin King! No matter how close he comes to me or how much of his charm he uses, I just won't react! Maybe he'll even send me home because he can no longer get a rise out of me."

Sarah jumped up and a brilliant smile lit her features, things were finally starting to look up for her. She'd play his game but by her rules, see how he liked having the tables turned on him. She would show him just how much she had changed since they had last met and that she was not a little girl anymore, she was a woman and a force to be reckoned with. She wouldn't cry and whine about how things weren't fair and throw a hissy fit when she couldn't get her own way, instead she would change what she could to her favour and use her cunning and wits to out maneuver her opponents.

It was like that song that she used to listen to a few years ago, how did it go? Ah, yes.

"Makes me that much stronger  
Makes me work a little bit harder  
Makes me that much wiser  
So thanks for making me a fighter

Made me learn a little bit faster  
Made my skin a little bit thicker  
Makes me that much smarter  
So thanks for making me a fighter"

Yes, that was what she was now, a fighter. She would battle the Goblin King once more with everything that she had, and she would come out the winner for real this time. With her new plan of action in mind she resumed wandering about the maze, singing along to the song that brought fourth her courage and determination, and she couldn't help but think that the song was made for this moment in her life.

She thought of all the things he had done in the past to sway her from her path, lied to her, cheated and used her friends to get to her. But none of that stopped her. It may have delayed her a bit, but it never truly stopped her. And for his efforts he had made her a fighter, he made her capable. If he had not put her through all the things that he had she would have never found the strength within herself to overcome all the obstacles he had put in her way, she would have never guessed that she held such strength within her until she was forced to unleash it.

So caught up in the song was she that she started to sing it aloud, smiling broadly as she imagined herself singing it to the Goblin King and the expressions of disbelief on his face as she thanked him for turning her into a fighter.

"After all you put me through  
You'd think I'd despise you  
But in the end I wanna thank you  
'Cause you made that much stronger

Well I thought I knew you  
Thinking that you were true  
Guess I, I couldn't trust called your bluff  
Time is up, 'cause I've had enough

You were there by my side  
Always down for the ride  
But your joy ride just came down in flames  
'Cause your greed sold me out in shame, mmm hmm

After all of the stealing and cheating  
You probably think that  
I hold resentment for you  
But uh uh, oh no, you're wrong

'Cause if it wasn't for all  
That you tried to do  
I wouldn't know just how capable I am to pull through  
So I wanna say thank you

'Cause it  
Makes me that much stronger  
Makes me work a little bit harder  
Makes me that much wiser  
So thanks for making me a fighter

Made me learn a little bit faster  
Made my skin a little bit thicker  
Makes me that much smarter  
So thanks for making me a fighter

Never saw it coming  
All of your backstabbing  
Just so, you could cash in on a good thing  
Before I'd realized your game

I heard you're going 'round  
Playin' the victim now  
But don't even begin feelin' I'm the one to blame  
'Cause you dug your own grave

After all of the fights and the lies  
Guess you're wanting to hurt me  
But that won't work anymore  
No more, uh uh, it's over

'Cause if it wasn't for all of your torture  
I wouldn't know how to be this way now  
And never back down  
So I wanna say thank you

'Cause it  
Makes me that much stronger  
Makes me work a little bit harder  
Makes me that much wiser  
So thanks for making me a fighter

Made me learn a little bit faster  
Made my skin a little bit thicker  
Makes me that much smarter  
So thanks for making me a fighter

How could this man I thought I know  
Turn out to be unjust so cruel?  
Could only see the good in you  
Pretended not to see the truth

You tried to hide your lies  
Disguise yourself through  
Living in denial  
But in the end you'll see  
You won't stop me

I am a fighter  
(I'm a fighter)  
I ain't gonna stop  
(I ain't gonna stop)  
There is no turning back  
I've had enough

Makes me that much stronger  
Makes me work a little bit harder  
Makes me that much wiser  
So thanks for making me a fighter

Made me learn a little bit faster  
Made my skin a little bit thicker  
Makes me that much smarter  
So thanks for making me a fighter

Thought I would forget  
But I, I remember  
Yes I remember  
I'll remember

Thought I would forget  
But I remember  
Yes I remember  
I'll remember

Makes me that much stronger  
Makes me work a little bit harder  
Makes me that much wiser  
So thanks for making me a fighter

Made me learn a little bit faster  
Made my skin a little bit thicker  
Makes me that much smarter  
So thanks for making me a fighter"

Sarah was panting by the end of the song, having put all her spirit and emotion into the powerful lyrics and coupled with her fast pace walking as she sang. But she felt so empowered by the song that it was difficult not to get caught up in it and sing her heart out, declaring an early victory over the Goblin King.

"You have a lovely singing voice, Sarah Williams"

Sarah stumbled in surprise but caught herself just before she could tip too far and fall over, blushing as she blinked and scanned her surroundings.

"Who said that?" she asked, turning her head to the sides as she tried to locate the newcomer.

"I did. Here in the shrubbery" the tiny voice said again.

Sarah turned her head in the direction the voice had come from and stared into the shrubs, and that's when a slight movement caught her eye. It was a tiny pair of translucent green butterfly wings, and they were connected to a small blonde fairy who was sitting peacefully amongst the leaves, watching her with a friendly smile. Her blonde hair flowed down her body in waves framing crystal cerulean eyes and ended at her knee's, intertwined within her golden locks were tiny pink and green flowers and Sarah thought it was the most amazing and beautiful hairstyle she had ever seen. She wore a tawny colored skirt that was cut off above her knee's with what Sarah assumed was a vine of some sort used as a belt, and what looked like a leaf bikini top with vines sprouting out and looping around her arms and midsection for a shirt.

_'What a cute little outfit. I wonder if I could get one of those made to fit me?' _Sarah briefly wondered to herself before she realized that this tiny little fairy knew her name. It seemed everyone here knew of her, from queen's to fairies.

"How did you..."

"Know your name?" the fairy finished, smiling up at her when Sarah nodded. "All the fairies know of you and your trials in the Labyrinth, Sarah Williams. You met our queen when you began your journey. And those of us that reside here in Avalon know of you through Queen Titania, for she often came here to watch over you and spoke to us of your life in the Aboveground"

"Your queen?" Sarah repeated, blinking and trying to recall the memory. The first fairy she had ever seen was right after she met Hoggle and he had been spraying them with some sort of liquid that Sarah had assumed was lethal, and she had picked up one stray fairy and started to admonish the little dwarf for his atrocious acts when the fairy sunk her sharp little teeth into her finger.

"The fairy with the long white hair?"

She nodded her tiny head.

"That's your queen? She bit me!"

The little fairy chuckled. "Yes well, he is not the most gentle mannered dwarf. After dealing with nearly being crushed to death, would you be so trusting?"

Sarah shook her head. "No, I suppose not. But I am surprised, I thought that she was left to die after Hoggle sprayed her with.....whatever it was in that contraption of his"

"The liquid that he sprays us with is nothing more than a liquid to temporarily weigh down our wings and prevent us from flying, it makes it easier for him to capture us and return us to our home here in Avalon. It is not fatal. Ah, but you must forgive me. I have not even told you my name yet."

She stood, took flight and hovered infront of Sarah and bowed, "I am called Aarya(AR-re-ah) , an earth fairy. I am very pleased to finally meet you, oh daughter of the Aboveground and conqueror of the Labyrinth"

"Aarya. That's a pretty name, I like it." Sarah smiled.

Aarya beamed at her. "Thank you very much. Say, have you time to spare?"

Sarah looked at the surrounding maze and sighed. "Well, since I am lost I guess I do have time to spare" she smiled.

"Wonderful" Aarya chirped, flitting about in the air happily and Sarah couldn't stop the giggle that formed inside of her. "Come daughter of the Aboveground, allow me to show you my home"

Sarah nodded and followed after her as she darted further into the maze, she was already lost so it made no difference how much deeper in she went, and perhaps Aarya would be kind enough to show her the way out after she had a tour of her home. Which reminded her of a question she had.

"Say Aarya, why is it that Hoggle transports you back to Avalon? Why are you not allowed to stay in the Goblin Kingdom?"

Aarya turned to face her, "Ah, the Goblin King does not like us very much. Though he does not wish for our death he does not want us 'invading' his kingdom either, something about how it is the goblin kingdom, not the kingdom of prancing ponies and pretty fairies" she said, mimicking his British accent.

Sarah burst out laughing. The sight of a little fairy imitating Jareth was just too priceless and she couldn't help but imagine him as a fairy, and the thought only made her laugh harder. Aarya smiled and continued to lead them through the passages. Twenty minutes later Sarah was beginning to wonder if she wasn't the only one that was lost when Aarya suddenly stopped and turned to her, gesturing with one hand to the scene that lay before them.

"Sarah Williams, I welcome you to the Kingdom of the Fairies."

Sarah stared in wonder as she laid eyes on Aarya's home.

A grand white castle that she could have easily mistaken for a child's dollhouse stood proud and mighty in the midst of hundreds of fairies of all different shapes, sizes and colors, flitting about seemingly randomly. The castle itself looked as though it had been produced straight from the pages of one of her fairytale books, and Sarah noticed as she took a closer look at it that it seemed to be made of crystal or some such material, for it shone and sparkled in the sunlight. Towers of different sizes sprouted from the base of the castle and a few more dotted the higher chambers as well, and she noticed that for every window there was also a balcony.

Surrounding the outside of the castle was what appeared to be a small city complete with tiny houses, and Sarah even spotted a small market in which numerous fairies were selling or buying goods.

"It's beautiful" she whispered, totally transfixed on the tiny kingdom and all its wonders.

"Please, come inside. I will prepare some tea and snacks for us, and I cannot wait to introduce you to my two sister's" Aarya chatted, grabbing Sarah's pinky finger and tugging lightly on it.

"Oh, I would love to but.....how would I......I mean I'm not exactley fairy sized...so...."

The small fairy let out a string of giggles. "Do not fret, dear Sarah. For it has been taken care of."

Sarah blinked, confused. "It has?"

"Here, I will show you"

And with that she fluttered to Sarah's face and held both palms out towards her, Sarah furrowed her eyebrows in confusion but they shot up when the palms started to glow a light pink and a small sound of surprise passed her lips when Aarya touched her tiny hands to Sarah's nose and a strange sensation washed over her.

In the blink of an eye Sarah shrunk down to the size of a fairy with a tiny 'pop' and she stood on the ground, now facing a very large castle and town in the distance. Her knee's buckled under her and she fell to the ground, holding her head in one hand she tried to fight off the waves of dizziness and try to understand just what the hell had just happened to her because one minute that castle came to about her knee's and now it easily towered over her.

Aarya flew down to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Sarah nodded her head slowly. "Yeah, I think so. What just happened?"

"I shrunk you" Aarya stated simply

"Shrunk me?" Sarah echoed

The fairy nodded. "Yes"

"How?"

"With fairy magic. Though I must confess the transformation had never been done on a human before, so I wasn't sure if it would work properly. But the queen has bestowed her gift on you, so I trusted that it would work"

Sarah shook her head, choosing to ignore the fact that this fairy might have accidently caused her bodily harm. "Wait, what do you mean the queen bestowed her gift on me?"

"I had better let the queen explain things to you, for she is the one who chose to gift you, not I. Come, I will escort you to the castle"

Aarya reached out her hands to Sarah who took them with expectations of being helped to her feet and guided towards said castle, but what she hadn't expected was for Aarya to flap her wings a couple of times and start flying away with her in tow. Sarah squeaked as her feet left the security of the ground and blanched as they flew higher into the sky, lifting her head to look at the fairy as if she'd completley lost her mind.

"Uhhh, c-can't we w-w-walk?" she stammered, struggling not to look down at the scenery passing beneath her feet.

"This is a much faster way to travel. Do not fear, I will not drop you"

_'Easy for you to say, Tinkerbell. You're the one with the wings!'_

She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly in a vain attempt to calm herself though the act did very little for her except cause her to have a dizzy spell, so she squeezed her eyes shut and prayed for a quick flight and for her sweaty palms to cease their actions, lest Aarya accidently loose her grip and drop her to her death. What was actually seven minutes felt like seven hours to Sarah. Once they started their decent she wearily cracked one eye open to find the entrance to the castle underneath her, and she heaved a sigh of relief. When Aarya finally set her down her knee's almost gave way once more but Sarah managed to keep herself in an upright position, clutching a hand to her chest she could feel her heart beating rapidly and was surprised that it hadn't broken a rib with the force of its rapid beating.

"See? We are here" Aarya smiled at Sarah who could only nod in response, struggling to smooth out her hair and stand up straight. She was going to meet the queen afterall and she wanted to look decent, well as decent as a human who was luggage to a fairy and who had never so much as stepped foot on an airplane in her life could be.

"Please follow me, Sarah. I will take you to the queen's royal chamber, on foot this time" Aarya winked, turning and walking away.

Sarah thought she heard a distinct female laugh as she followed behind her friend but she shrugged it off, after the experience she just had she couldn't really trust most of her five senses at the moment. Her wobbly legs steadily gained their strength back as she walked and she couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu, her being escorted by someone down a winding hallway to meet a queen, it was just like this morning when she had met with Titania.

She wondered if the fae queen was worried about her, having left her bedroom without notifying anyone of her whereabouts she wondered if the queen was concerned for her. She frowned a bit. She would go back to the castle soon, it wouldn't do to have her hostess worried over her unnecessarily especially when she had been so kind to her.

"Here we are" Aarya's voice brought Sarah out of her musings, knocking on the large double doors that led to the royal chamber.

A voice bid them to enter and they did, pushing one of the doors open and walking in. Sarah hesitated but found comfort in Aarya's smile and forced herself to walk behind her, holding her head proudly and walking with as much courage as she could muster within herself. Who knew what this fairy queen would have to say to her?

They stopped infront of a large throne with what Sarah assumed was the queen of the swarm, but she looked so different now then when she had encountered her before. No longer was she dressed in a flimsy white gown and looking completley helpless as she sat in the dirt after having being sprayed by Hoggle. Now she looked every bit as regal as any queen, dressed in a dark green dress that hugged her curves, her long white hair confined to a braid and hanging over her shoulder.

"Your majesty Callisto (kah-LISS-toe) , may I present the daughter of the Aboveground, the champion of the Goblin King's Labyrinth, Sarah Williams"

Sarah took Aarya's lead and curtsied before the fairy queen who smiled and bid them to stand.

"Ah, Sarah Williams. We have met once before some time ago when you started your journey into King Jareth's Labyrinth, I must say that I was quite pleased to learn that you bested the Goblin King's Labyrinth and won back the babe. Do you remember me? Though I wouldn't be surprised if you don't, afterall our encounter was quite brief"

"I still have the scar on my finger where you bit me" Sarah grumbled without thinking, clapping both hands over her mouth when she realized that she had spoken her thoughts instead of keeping them to herself.

She was delightfully surprised when the queen threw back her head and burst out laughing. After a moment she quieted down a bit and wiped a stray tear from her eye. "Ah yes, well it was not without reason I assure you"

"A reason?"

Callisto smiled. "Yes. When we met you had a certain aura that surrounded you, a very special aura that only certain fae are born with, so it was quite a surprise when I felt this aura on a human. Fae born with this aura have all had a great impact on the Underground, whether it was bringing peace and prosperity or a great warrior leading troops into battle and ultimatley to victory."

"So why bite them? What does that do?" Sarah questioned.

"Before you, there has never been a need to do so"

"Soo.....why _did_ you bite _me_ then?"

"Because you held no magic power within yourself. The fae born with the aura all held magical powers within themselves to assist them, but you had none so I bestowed my own magical power on you. When I bit you I injected some of my magic into you and though a small amount it was, it would grow over time. Though it might have grown at a much faster rate had you stayed in the Underground where magic fills the very air, I imagine it has gone somewhat dormant in the years you spent Aboveground"

Sarah was confused. _SHE_ had magical powers sleeping inside of her?

Callisto smiled gently at Sarah. "I can see that you are confused and have much to think on, dear. I have but one other things to tell you. The moment I bit you I created a bond with you, a very special bond that connects not only you and I, but the entire fairy kingdom. We are family now. If ever you are in trouble or need us for whatever reason, all you need do is summon us with your heart"

Sarah nodded. "O-okay."

Callisto nodded to Aarya who bowed to her queen and led Sarah out of the royal chambers, and once she was left alone she smiled knowingly.

"So Goblin King, you have claimed Sarah Williams as your own, have you? And it seems you have neglected to speak to her about your own magic that courses through her veins as well, or the secondary spell that you have cast on her. Make no mistake that while this child has a kind and pure heart it will not save you when she discovers the truth about her condition. Your carelessness could very well cost you the heart of this creature, be warned Jareth that she is a child of destiny and once the information is set free you may come to regret your trickery"

* * *

"Did you hear that? We are family! Oh joyous of joys! We are sister's, you and I!!" Aarya babbled happily as she and Sarah exited the castle, turning to beam a radiant smile at Sarah who returned it meekly.

"So it would seem"

"Come! You must meet my other sisters! They will be thrilled when they hear the news!"

Sarah groaned as Aarya grabbed both of her wrists and took flight again, trying to fight back the nausea she shut her eyes and took a few deep breaths.

This day was beyond stressful. Sarah wondered is she could ever absorb all the knowledge that had been put infront of her this day, when she thought that she had some sort of general understanding of her circumstances something else came along and threw her for yet another loop. She was suddenly very tired and could not wait to get back to her room and her nice comfy bed, hoping that things would look better after a brief respite.

After a few short minutes Sarah's feet touched solid ground again and she opened her eyes, now standing on a balcony that overlooked the city.

"Please, come inside dear sister. I will prepare us some tea and something to eat, I am sure that you are hungry."

She was about to decline the kind offer of food when her stomach rumbled loudly and she blushed a deep shade of scarlet, bashfully looking at her new 'sister' and smiling sheepishly.

"I guess I could eat a little something, thank you"

Aarya smiled brightly and all but dragged Sarah into her home and to a simple square wooden table with four chairs placed around it, telling her to be seated while she busied herself with preparing food and tea.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Sarah asked politley.

Aarya shook her head. "No, thank you. Please sit and rest, after all you have been through today you must be tired" she said from over her shoulder, sticking her head into a cupboard and rummaging through its contents.

Sarah shrugged and slumped into the chair, the weight of the day suddenly hitting her with most of its force. So much had happened in the past few hours that she had troubles wrapping her mind around it all, the day was not that close to ending yet and she was starting to fear just how it would end.

_'As long as it doesn't involve that rotten no good Goblin King, I think I can handle whatever else this place has to throw at me'_

She bent forward and folded her arms on the table and sat her head in her arms as she waited for Aarya to return, mentally going over the events of her day, not even noticing that she had closed her eyes.

"How does grilled chicken sandwiches with swiss cheese, fresh dragon berries and golden leaf tea sound, Sarah? ....Sarah?"

Aarya blinked. Apparently this day had been more strenuous on Sarah than she had thought, for Sarah was seated at the kitchen table, using her arms as pillows, and sleeping quite comfortably. She smiled. Lunch could wait, but for now Sarah needed to regain some of her strength. Using a bit of her magic she teleported Sarah from the table to her guest bedroom where her shoes were removed and she was tucked snugly into bed, kissing her forehead and softly stroked her hair she whispered to her new 'sister'.

"Sweet dreams, sister. We will talk more once you awake, but for now rest easy"

She shut the door gently behind her and walked to the balcony where she took to the skies, heading for Queen Titania's private chambers to inform her that Sarah was currently a guest in the fairy kingdom. She knew the queen would be waiting for Sarah's arrival and if she did not show it would cause her worry, and there was certainly no need for unecessary stress. Aarya felt in her little heart that things would get quite stressful soon in the Underground, and that all they could do was hold on and try to enjoy the ride.


	7. Chapter 7

**WARNING!!!!**** This chapter contains some lemonade-ish goodness! So no likey, no ready. Also, this is my first EVER attempt at anything remotley lemony, so I hope I don't dissapoint. If I get good reviews for it there just might be more lemonade goodness later on ;) Enjoy! n_n**

* * *

Sarah shivered deliciously as the tip of her nipple hardened under the skilled fingertips that teased it, arching her back in pleasure to try to create more contact she heard a throaty chuckle from somewhere above her. She opened her eyes to find Jareth smirking down at her as he continued his torture on her left nipple while reaching his other hand up to the opposite breast and started to gently massage it, a gasp fleeing her parted lips as she squeezed her eyes shut once more.

She didn't know what the hell was going on at all. When had he arrived? Why were they both naked as the day they were born? Why was he doing this to her? Why was she _letting_ him do this to her? She could have sworn that she was angry at this man at some point and had devised a plan to get back at him, but the logic and reasons evaded her mind's grasp. All she knew at this moment was that the spark in the pit of her stomach had turned into a small fire that was building and spreading a wicked heat throughout her entire body, a heat that she had come to crave and desire, a heat that she had never known before, a heat that this man was creating within her.

She should stop. She should definatley stop him. She should stop right.....

"Aaaaah!!!! Jareth!!!!"

He grinned, suddenly having took her nipple into his mouth and started to suckle on it, enjoying hearing her gasp out his name in pure ecstasy. Her hands flew to his wild mane of hair and she knotted her fingers into it, holding him fast. He was bringing new sensations to life inside of her that she had never known she could feel, feelings that she couldn't put a name to but felt that they were almost animalistic and primal in nature.

Jareth removed his teasing mouth from her breast and brought his lips to hers, crushing them with a gentle force. This was a new side of Jareth she had never seen before, but one she could definatley get used to seeing. He was being so gentle with her, so caring and kind. Yet she sensed that he had yet to unleash his passion on her and the thought sent a shiver up and down her spine, and she writhed under him.

She heard him chuckle again, the deep sound of his voice fanning the flames of the fire within her.

"How you've turned my world you precious thing" he whispered huskily into her ear.

"Jareth" she rasped, moving her hands from his hair to his shoulders and looking him in the eyes. The passion and lust that burned so brightly in the stormy depths of his eyes both frightened and excited Sarah.

"Yes, my love?" he crooned, nibbling gently on her ear lobe.

"I...I.." she started, but found she was unable to give a voice to her body's plea for release. She felt slightly embarrassed but he raised his head and looking lovingly down at her, raising his hand to affectionately cup Sarah's cheek and caress it.

"I know. Are you ready?" he asked, searching her eyes.

She nodded.

He said nothing, only smiled a devilish grin down at her. She felt something hard pressing against her abdomen and realization struck her a moment later when he moved to reveal his hardened manhood standing tall and proud before her. She couldn't help but stare. She had never seen this part of the male anatomy before. In books and video's, yes. In real life, no. She suddenly felt a pinprick of fear stab at her, he was so....big, how was he going to fit inside of her?

He rubbed his thumb tenderly on her thigh bringing her attention to his face, and she thought she'd see a knowing smile, or an arrogant smirk on his face, but she found neither. He wore an understanding look, his lips curved into a gentle smile that spoke volumes to Sarah. He knew it would be her first time and he was more than willing to take it slow and easy, she felt in her heart as she gazed up at him that he would do whatever it took to put her at ease.

She smiled back at him and nodded her assent, she was ready. He nodded and parted her legs slowly, moving himself inbetween them. She hooked her legs around his waist as he moved to enter her, placing the tip of his manhood at her enterance. He took one more look deep into Sarah's eyes as if to once more make sure that she was ready for this, and seeing no resistance on her part, he crushed his lips to his once more and sank deep into her, swallowing the one pained cry from breaking the barrier within her.

* * *

Sarah bolted upright in her bed, her eyes wide and slightly glazed over, sweat pouring off of her, and her breath's coming out in short ragged gasps.

_'What the FUCK was that?!' _

She held a hand to her chest as she tried to get ahold of herself, replaying the very vivid dream over again in her mind.

_'I've had dreams about Jareth before, but __**never**__ like that.'_

She sat in her bed for a few moments trying to sort out her foggy mind. That dream forced Sarah to accept that she had a very large attraction to a certain Goblin King, more than she had previously thought. Oh, she had always thought he was a handsome man, that much she had always known. But to that extent?

_'Oh HELL no! I simply cannot allow this at all! I have plans! __**PLANS!!**__ Plans that involve getting that jerk back for all the things he has done to me up until this point! Remember Sarah, he tricked you! He tricked you into eating that peach. He tricked you into being forced to remain in the Underground. He lied to you in that ballroom, spoke of undying love when he felt nothing for you at all! You were no more than a joke to him at your own expense. Don't loose your heart to the trickster!'_

Suddenly very sober she narrowed her eyes. That's right. He had played her a fool and he wouldn't get away with it, even if it took her the rest of her life she would never let him get away with his callous treatment of her. She nodded absently to herself, no matter what happened she couldn't let her heart make the decisions where Jareth was concerned, it couldn't be trusted. For some unknown reason it ached when she thought of him and her mind couldn't make sense of it, her mind was screaming for bloody vengeance and cared only to inflict pain upon the one who had caused her so much pain and torment. Somewhere in the back of her mind a small voice warned her that revenge would solve nothing and only hurt her in the end, but the louder voices drowned out the tiny voice.

She shook her head lightly in an attempt to clear her thoughts, though it was mostly in vain. Why were things so complicated when it came to the matter of the Goblin King? Why was it that she felt like sometimes she could throw him into the middle of ongoing traffic in anger, but then nearly kill herself to rush out to save him a few scant moments later? He made her blood boil with righteous womanly fury, and he so easily could push her buttons to the point where she could care less if he just happened to drop off the face of the earth. But a small fraction of herself felt....affection for him, which was completley absurd. It wasn't as if he deserved any love she had to give, so why should she care?

_'That is the mystery of the heart for you' _her mind sighed, and she sighed along with it.

_'Well, I'd go back to sleep if I didn't fear having the rest of that dream. I might as well get up and .....'_

"Hey wait...where am I anyway?!"

In the midst of her brain storming she had not even so much as noticed that she was in a different room than the one she had woken up in yesterday, but now she was looking around and actually seeing the room.

"What is this? Musical beds? I swear if I ever wake up one morning to find myself in Jareth's bed without any recollection of getting there, there is going to be hell to pay! I don't care if he's a king or not!"

"Ah, I see you are awake, dear sister. Did you sleep well?"

Sarah blinked and then blushed, hoping that Aarya hadn't heard too much of her ranting.

"Yes, thank you. Don't tell me, I fell asleep?"

Aarya nodded. "Yes. But please, do not worry about it. I take no insult. I understand that you were exhausted, it is to be expected. Now then, there is a bathroom to your left where you will find fresh clothing and means to wash your face and comb your hair. I will begin to prepare breakfast for us, alright?"

Sarah smiled. "Thank you, Aarya, for everything. You have been so kind to me."

She smiled fondly at Sarah. "We are family, this is what family does for family. Now go freshen up, our other sisters will be here in a short while." And with that she disappeared around the corner.

Sarah dragged herself out of the warm comfort of the blankets and shivered a bit at the cool temperature of the room, stretching the kinks out of her neck and back before moving herself to the bathroom. It was a simple bathroom painted in colors of green and white,but she found it to be very elegant and tasteful, something that she thought she would have liked to own herself back in the Aboveground. She found a simple long green dress folded neatly with a pair of simple white slip on high heel slippers by the basin of crystal clear water, and a silver hair brush with beautiful flower designs etched into it that looked like it could have come straight from a Victorian antique shop.

She quickly washed and changed, not wanting to keep her hostess waiting, and made her way down the hall that led to the kitchen were a delcious aroma was hanging in the air. She poked her head to see Aarya taking out some sort of confection out of an old style oven that Sarah had only seen in very old style houses, the kind that was nothing more than a pile of bricks with a concrete slab seperating the fire and the food with a large concrete lid and stove ontop.

She set the tray of what looked like little cakes or buns on the counter, set the bread paddle aside and wiped the perspiration from her brow, smiling at a job well done. A shrill whistling noise cut through the air and caught her attention, the kettle that hung suspended by a thick wire over a small fire, and she moved quickly to remove it from the heat source before it boiled over, catching sight of Sarah on her way through.

"Please come and sit down, Sarah. Breakfast is nearly ready. I hope you are hungry"

Sarah nodded, "Thank you", she said politley, moving to the table and sitting down.

"That dress looks amazing on you, I knew it would."

"Thank you. It fits perfectly."

The strapless dress came down to her calves, a light dress that stretched so as to not hinder her movements, but it looked as though you could barley move your leg past the other. What looked like an ivy vine pattern wove its way up the side of the dress coming from the bottom to the mid-section where it started branching out and weaved haphazardly, a leaf covering the area where the nipples were located. At first Sarah had blushed darkly upon spotting this, but as she stared at it she came to rather like it. It was unique, if nothing else. On her feet she wore a pair of white glass slippers that were quite similar to the ones she had found in the bedroom in her room back at the castle, except these were more of a slip on type shoe with an open toe design, and they had a 2" translucent heel with a solid black sole to prevent slipping.

Aarya came to table after a few moments with a darling tea kettle that had paintings of fairies flying to and fro on it, setting it and two cups on the table before moving back to the counter to tend to her baked goods and then transferring them to plates and to the table.

"Mmm, these smell wonderful. What are they?" Sarah said as two of the round cakes were put infront of her.

"They are called Honey Cakes. It's an old recipe that has been a favourite of the fairies for many years" Aarya replied, pouring Sarah and then herself a cup of the steaming liquid, which also gave off a wonderful fragrance of its own. Something similar to what she knew as orange pekoe tea.

_'Well, you can't go wrong with a name like Honey Cake'_

She picked up one of the lightly browned cakes and took a small bite, closing her eyes in pure bliss as the flavours rushed over her tongue. It was moist and tasted mildly of some spice she couldn't quite place with a deep honey flavour, and it was definatley something Sarah could get used to eating on an almost regular basis.

"Oh my god, this is exquisite! I daresay I could eat these every morning for the rest of my life and never get tired of it" she complimented before taking another bite of the sweet cake.

Aarya beamed at her. "Thank you. Queen Titania is also quite fond of them, and I do so enjoy making them. They make a lovely afternoon snack to go with tea."

"Queen Titania....oh my gosh!" Sarah gasped, bringing both hands to her lips, eyes wide. "She must be so worried about me! I didn't return to the castle at all last night!"

"I assure you she is not concerned about you in the least, Sarah" Aarya said soothingly, giggling when Sarah gave her a rather perplexed look.

"I went to the castle to inform her majesty of your whereabouts after you were asleep, so there is no need to fret. Actually she seemed very pleased to learn that you were in the fairies company, and I do believe I heard her mumble something about her son the Goblin King, but I did not quite catch what she had said entirley" she shrugged.

Sarah's mood soured at the mention of Jareth, huffing as she sat back in her chair, folding her arms over her chest and frowning.

Aarya cocked her head to the side as she looked at Sarah, confused at her switch in moods so abruptly.

"Sarah? Are you alright?"

Sarah sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. But if you please, let's _not_ speak of the Goblin King anymore."

"I suppose that means a re-telling of your time in the Labyrinth is out of the question then?" she asked, her eyes shining hopefully.

She heaved another sigh. How could she turn down a face like that? Moreover Aarya had been extremley kind to her during her stay, and she felt it would be very rude on her part to deny her this small thing. She supposed she could talk about the Labyrinth and its king under these special, and one time, circumstances.

"No, I will tell you of the day I first traveled to the Underground and ran the Labyrinth" she said, smiling when Aarya instantly brightened.

"We are very happy to hear it, dearest sister Sarah"

Sarah jumped at the voice coming from behind her, turning her head she saw two women standing in the balcony doorway, smiling at her.

"Sisters! You have arrived!" Aarya chirped, her wings fluttering excitedly, she rushed over to them and embraced them.

One of the women had long free flowing dark purple hair and bright purple eyes, eyes that looked even more stormy than Jareth's own mismatched eyes if possible. Her wings were black and almost......dragon shaped, something that Sarah found quite odd. They stretched out and nearly touched the ground, curving inwards twice, and were decorated with what looked like tiny moon and star shaped patterns. Her dress wasn't modest in the least. It was a tight fitting black skirt that came to rest above her knee's and what looked like a black tank top covered her breasts, the only other thing that she wore was a belt of some sort that looped around her thigh and some white flowers that seemingly grew in her hair. She didn't know why but she got the distinct feeling that she held a fierce warriors spirit within her, it appeared that she took crap from nobody and let people know exactley what she thought, and if they didn't like it that was tough shit for them.

The other woman seemed to be a toned down version of the other. A mane full of bubblegum pink hair done up in a high ponytail with white and green flowers weaved into it, and bright lime green eyes. Sarah found herself wondering if such eyes might glow in the dark. Her dress was a darker shade of green with only one shoulder strap and came down to her knee's, it reminded Sarah of a toga. Her wings were unlike Sarah had ever seen before, the top half of the maroon colored wings were large and magnificent, and then what appeared to almost be a seperate pair of wings underneath were small and delicate.

"Sarah, please allow me to introduce our sister's to you" Aarya's voice said happily, bringing Sarah back to the here and now.

"This," she said gesturing to the woman with the purple hair, "is Selene. The eldest of the three of us."

"It's an honour, oh daughter of the Aboveground" Selene said politley

"And this," Aarya continued, gesturing to the other woman, "is Damara, the second oldest."

"It is a pleasure to meet you in person, I have heard much about you from her majesty Titania"

Sarah blinked, suddenly feeling very self conscious. These women she was surrounded by were all beautiful and exotic, and she was just.....plain. But she forced herself to smile. She was being rude.

"Thank you, I'm very happy to meet you both." she said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Selene frowned and suddenly stepped forward, taking Sarah's chin in her index finger and thumb and examining her closely. Sarah gasped at the intensity in the woman's eyes, searching her own so deeply she couldn't look away if she had wanted to.

"You should not feel that way, Sarah Williams." she suddenly said, releasing her grasp on her chin.

"Uhmm, what do you....."

"I can see it in your eyes. You feel inferior to us, is that not correct?"

Sarah blushed darkly and looked away, ashamed.

A gentle hand cupped her cheek and she found it was Damara who was tenderly stroking her cheek, smiling at her. "You should never doubt your beauty, dear Sarah. You are beautiful and you should never think otherwise."

Sarah's blush continued down her throat to the top of her breast. But she had to admit that she felt better, hearing these two she compliment her beauty she didn't feel so depressed.

"That's better. Take care never to loose the spark that you hold within your eyes or heart, for I fear if it is extinguished it will not be long before your body follows it" Selene said sagely.

"T-Thank you" she whispered.

A sudden bolt of electricty whipped through her body, and she yelped in surprise.

"What.....was that?" she asked, a little dazed by the entire experience.

"It is a sign" Damara said, a wide grin on her face.

"A sign? Of what?"

"That we are bound" Selene answered.

"Bound?" Sarah repeated, quirking one eyebrow.

"Yes. The three of us are bound to you now, sisters for all time. No matter what may come, we will always have a connection to each other that binds us" Aarya said.

_'I'm not sure how much more of this bonding crap I can take. First being bit and now electric shocks? What's next? Surgically connecting us at the hips?!?!'_

"Come, dear sisters. Let us move to the living room where we might be more comfortable. Sarah was just about to tell the story of her time in the Labyrinth." Aarya said as she moved to the cupboards to grab another two cups for her elder sisters.

Three pots of tea later Sarah finished her tale, from the time she had entered the Labyrinth and saved Toby, fast forwarding six years to when her family had been abducted and she sent back Underground.

"What strength you possess, sister. To have faced so many obsticles and have kept going" Damara said, awed.

"It was my careless wish that gave the Goblin King the opporunity to take my brother away, so what choice did I have but to get him back?"

"The Goblin King is quite cunning, I must say. Using himself as a distraction more than once, how very sly" Selene said with a faint glimmer in her eyes, and Sarah got the distinct feeling that she was aware of her attraction to Jareth.

"And now to be back in the Underground and subject to the laws of The Fates, all because you unknowingly ate the peach that bound you to the Underground." Aarya said solemnly.

Sarah nodded. "Yup. I mean, I thought it was going to be horrible. My family is in the Aboveground and I dearly miss them all. I miss my old life, my job, my friends, everything. Nothing is what it seems down here, and I find myself getting terribly confused so often that I wonder if I will ever know what is up or down in this place. And yet, I find myself enjoying it here as well. It sounds completley mental, but this place is so....magical and interesting, and even though it confuses me and scares me sometimes I still enjoy being here"

"We are family now, and we will always be by your side" Aarya chirped

"That's right. You can always count on us to comfort and be there for you" Damara said, smiling brightly

"And for wisdom and guidance, as well" Selene said.

"Thank you all so much. I am so lucky to have you all" Sarah said, holding back her tears. It wouldn't do to cry now after she had just finished telling how brave and tough she had been during her first visit to the Underground.

"Well, I suppose it's time that you returned to Queen Titania's castle. It looks to be late in the afternoon, her majesty should be having lunch prepared soon." Aarya sighed.

Sarah nodded and stood, stretching her body slightly.

"Alright, I'm ready"

She was led to the balcony where she held her hands above her head, grasping securley onto Aarya's hands as she was hoisted into the air. Sarah was relieved when she felt no motion sickness this time around and was actually able to enjoy the view as they flew, making idle conversation with Damara and Selene who had tagged along.

When they reached the enterance to the hedge maze Sarah was set on her feet, wobbling slightly but nothing compared to her first flight. Aarya stretched her palms out towards Sarah, and as they started to glow Sarah sucked in a deep breath. She could very well remember the feeling of being shrunk, and she was anxious with wondering how it would feel to blew back up to regular size.

'pop!'

She felt as if she might fall backwards from the force of being stretched out but she fought to keep her balance, blinking her eyes to clear them.

"I hope you will return to visit soon, dear sister. You are always welcome" Aarya said, smiling.

Sarah smiled back. "Yes, I would like that. I promise to visit again soon, Aarya."

The three fairy sisters bid her farewell and took to the sky. Sarah watched them until she could no longer see them and then turned, smiling, she turned the corner and bumped into something. Too late she realized she had bumped right into the chest of the Goblin King who stood directly in her path, wearing a smug grin.

"Well, what have we here?"

_'Remember the plan, Sarah!'_ her mind said, trying to squash down the temper that was slowly rising.

The plan. Right.

She forced herself to remain indifferent as she spoke. "Pardon me, I was just heading back to the castle"

"Ah. Then allow me to escort you."

Sarah's brow twitched in agitation. "No, thank you. I can find my way back by myself" she ground out, side stepping him and continuing on her way.

He chuckled as he followed behind her. "Now Sarah, what kind of gentleman would I be if I allowed a lady to walk without an escort?"

"Then I suggest you find a gentleman and have him escort me, Goblin King" she seethed.

His laughter filled the air. "You are quite fiesty, aren't you? By the way, I should like to compliment you on your dress"

Her dress? She looked down at herself, the two leaves on her breasts jiggling slightly as she walked. She tried to fight off the blush that threatened to stain her cheeks cherry red, but in the end she managed to only turn a light pink.

_'Don't let him get to you. That's what he wants.'_

Her hands fisted at her sides. "Thank you, your majesty"

_'Please do us both a favour and go hang yourself with your own cape' _she added mentally.

"Now now, no need for such formalities. Call me Jareth." he purred.

_'I could think of alot of other names I'd rather call you'_

She was determined not to let him rile her up and so she held her head high, kept a neutral face and continued to walk towards her destination. The less he could affect her the better off she would be. And besides, it wasn't as if she had to play the part everyday. She resided here in Avalon with Queen Titania and King Oberon, and he resided in the Goblin Kingdom to the west of here. She would only have to do this whenever he was around. Piece of cake.

_'What did I say about saying that?! It brings bad luck, damnit! Are you trying to get yourself in yet another predicament?!?!?!' _her mind wailed at her, stomping an imaginary foot in a temper tantrum.

_'Oh, don't be so silly. What could possibly come from saying those three little words?' _Sarah admonished, as if she were speaking to a child.

_'Oh, you mean just like the time you thought nothing could happen when you say the words 'I wish'?? HMMMM?!'_

She chose to ignore that remark.

"Penny for your thoughts, precious?"

"Don't you have a kingdom to tend to or something?" she replied waspishly.

"Ah yes, my kingdom. Speaking of which, perhaps you would like to have a tour of my castle? Your last visit was rather rushed, and I doubt you got to see any of the finer aspects of my kingdom"

She halted in her steps and faced Jareth, her eyes sparking with barley restrained anger. "There is NO way that I am EVER going to set foot in your kingdom again.....your majesty" she added hastily, turning away from his eyes that danced with merriment and stalked off.

"Oh, really?" he called after her retreating form.

"Yes, really!" she threw back at him over her shoulder.

Grateful that he had stopped following her she turned a corner only to find him lounging against a wall, directly in her path again.

"And just what makes you think you have a choice in the matter, dearest?" he asked, quirking his eyebrow and his lips.

"What on earth are you talking about? Of course I have a choice! What makes YOU think that I don't?"

"I myself was wondering the very same thing, Sarah" a calm voice said from Sarah's right.

"Mother" Jareth greeted, bowing slightly.

She nodded in his direction. "What do you mean she has no choice, Jareth?"

He looked between the two women who were patiently waiting for answers, and sighed. This was a conversation that he had hoped to have with Sarah in private, he hadn't really wanted anybody else to witness the tantrum that she was bound to have once she learned the full truth of her current situation. But he had little choice, his mother had gotten involved and there was nothing he could do about that. And perhaps she would help to curb Sarah's anger, but he wasn't really counting on it given the fact that his mother had informed him of the tirade she had the other day in her study.

"I mean that she is bound to the Labyrinth, and myself. She is a subject of the Labyrinth, and while I thank you for seeing to her needs as of late, I am exercising my right to bring her back to my castle with me."

Sarah blinked slowly. "What? What do you mean I'm bound to you?! How is that even possible!"

"I suppose this has something to do with that secondary spell on the fruit when Sarah first ventured into the Labyrinth, correct?" Titania asked as she stared down her son.

He nodded. "It does."

He had hoped to leave it at that. But alas, fate was a nasty bitch.

"A secondary spell? On that peach that you forced Hoggle to give me? You mean besides drugging me you did something else to me?!"

He winced as her voice climbed an octave. He opened his mouth to answer her, but Titania beat him to it.

"A spell of bonding, if I am not mistaken. It is a spell that binds two people together in heart, body and soul. Once this spell is cast, the two can never be seperated for very long at a time." she explained, narrowing her eyes at her son.

"Wait wait wait, I spent six years Aboveground. What exactley do you classify as a very long time?"

"For a fae six years is more like six days, we are immortal and as such the flow of time means little" Jareth spoke up.

"No..." Sarah whispered, turning eyes full of unshed tears towards Titania. "Is there nothing that you can do? You can't just let him take me! .....can you?"

"There is nothing that can be done. The spell is cast and the deed is done, you are a citizen of the Goblin Kindgom, whether you like it or not." Jareth said sternly. He would not be swayed. She had been away from his kingdom for far too long.

"Not so fast, my son" Titania interjected. "Do you forget that it was I that brought her here? By law one who brings a mortal from the Aboveground to the Underground has rule over that mortal. You cannot simply take her."

"What is all the fuss about on such a fine day?" a mighty voice asked from behind them.

"Father" Jareth said respectfully, bowing low.

"Oberon, my dearest" Titania acknowledged, curtsying.

Oberon? As in High King Oberon?

_'It's the high king! Cursty, you fool!' _her mind snapped, and she swept into a low curtsy.

This man was even more regal than Jareth, if one could believe it, though he was not dressed in the same style. His hair was long and pure white held back in a high ponytail save for two locks of hair that framed two eyes of liquid gold, and his dress robes looked like it came straight from ancient Japan, which were white with gold trimming. What struck Sarah the most was how young this man looked, just like his wife Titania. They looked to be no more than in their thirties, thirty-five at the most.

_'I guess that's what happens when you're immortal. You stay young and beautiful forever.'_

"Will someone kindly explain this ruckus to me? And who is this lovely creature?" he said, gesturing to Sarah who blushed.

"Husband, this is Sarah Williams." Titania provided.

He quirked his eyebrow in the same fashion as Jareth had done on so many occasions, bending down to get a better look at her.

"So, this is _the_ Sarah Williams? The girl who ran Jareth's Labyrinth and was able to rescue the babe?"

Sarah bit back the urge to correct him and accuse Jareth of tricking her multiple times during her run, and ask if there wasn't some sort of punishment for interfering with runners in the Labyrinth and casting spells on them without their knowledge. She settled for nodding shyly.

"I welcome you to Avalon, Sarah Williams of the Aboveground. Forgive my lack of manners for not having greeted you upon arrival, there were other matters which required my attention" he said, taking Sarah's hand in his own and kissing the back of it gingerly.

Sarah blushed prettily. "Oh, it is no trouble, your majesty. Queen Titania has been very kind to me during my visit thus far."

Titania smiled at the blushing girl, mentally congratulating her on a job well done. Though she knew she had never been around royal's such as them, she acted as though it was almost second nature to her. _'It must come from all the books she reads'_ she mused.

"My husband," Titania started, "are you aware that your son has cast a rather interesting spell on dear Sarah?"

"Spell? Which spell do you speak of?"

"The spell of binding"

Oberon looked to his son who nodded the affirmative.

"Yes, and now that we are bound, I wish to take her back to my castle with me. She is my property, afterall"

Sarah's eyebrow twitched. Property? Her? To _**HIM?!**_ She growled in the back of her throat in anger, trying to keep her temper at bay but it was getting increasingly difficult. First she was his slut, now she was his property. The urge to deck this irritating man was overwhelming but she kept her arms to her sides, somehow she didn't think hitting the high king's son would work out very well in her favour. At least, only infront of the high king.

"Your property you say? And yet I was the one to hear the summons and rescue her when she wished for assistance and brought her to Avalon." Titania argued, crossing her arms over her chest.

"If what you say is true dear wife, I wonder why it was that he did not hear her? The spell of bonding is particularly powerful and can easily transcend the barrier between the two worlds, so the fact that he did not hear the summons is quite peculiar indeed."

"Yes, and I fully intend to investigate the matter further once I get my newest subject settled in. She is bound to me, like it or not."

"And the laws state that I rule over this mortal, like it or not" Titania taunted.

Oberon cupped his chin in his hand, mulling over the problem. "Such trouble over this fetching mortal woman, I must say." he murmered. "Ah, I think I have an arrangement that will fix the problem."

_'You're going to say "to hell with this, you problematic wench!" and send me back to the Aboveground, right? .....Right?!'_

"Since Jareth is bonded with her and does in fact rule her more so than you, my dear wife, what say you to letting Sarah live in the Goblin City three weeks out of each month, and spend the remaining week here in Avalon?" Oberon offered, smiling at his own cunning.

_'Damn it you old fart!'_

Titania sighed. That was the best she could do, seeing as how the spell Jareth had cast on Sarah held more weight than her bringing Sarah to the Underground. She had hoped to avoid such an arrangement at least until Sarah had more of a chance to settle in, but now she was being taken by her 'enemy' back to the land that she had visited so long ago. She only hoped that Jareth had thought things through before dropping such a bomb on them.

"I agree to the terms of the arrangement, my husband. What say you, Goblin King?"

"I also agree to the terms of this arrangement. Now, if you will kindly excuse us, I would like for Sarah to get reacquainted with my kingdom"

He reached over and grabbed Sarah's forearm, holding her securely in his grasp, and before Sarah had a chance to protest they both vanished in a swirl of glittering dust.

"He has much to learn about capturing a woman's heart, doesn't he?" Oberon sighed.

Titania nodded. "He does. If you will excuse me, my husband, I think a chat with Queen Callisto is in order." she curtsied once more before she vanished as well.

* * *

So, there you have it. I have answered the question you were all wondering about with that secondary spell. And how's that for a twist?Jareth, you sly dog! And poor Sarah. Maybe she'll learn her lesson about saying 'piece of cake' now :p Lol! She was warned! I'm taking a break until after 2010 rolls around, but I will be back within a maybe a week or something like that, not long at all. So I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I will see you all in the New Year. The year of the Tiger. Rowr ;) Lmao!

KawaiiScorpio


	8. Chapter 8

Sarah's head spun. The sensation of being transported was the weirdest sensation she had yet to have, even more bizarre than being re-sized by Aarya. It was as if she was moving at a high speed and yet she was standing still, and when it finally stopped her mind was racing to catch up with her. She teetered a bit but was held up by a strong arm and she clung to it for a moment, blinking as her surroundings finally came into focus.

She turned white. She was in a circular room filled with goblins, chickens and even a pig on a leash. In the middle of the room sat a chair with a circular back that looked like it was made from ivory, with a purple blanket attached to the back by rings. The Goblin King's throne. She was standing in the middle of Jareth's throne room in the heart of the Labyrinth, the one place she never thought she would ever see again and the one place she sorley hoped to avoid.

But because Jareth had seen fit to cast that stupid spell on her all those years ago, here she now stood. And said jerk stood beside her, holding her arm. She wrenched her arm away from him and backed away, glowering at him the entire time while he stood looking rather unaffected by the whole thing.

"Look! The lady!" one goblin shouted happily, jumping up and down and pointing one bony finger at her.

"The master's lady has returned!" Another sang.

_'The master's lady? Hah! Fat chance in hell!'_

She stood tall and faced Jareth. "Alright, I'm ready."

He raised an eyebrow. "Ready? For what?"

"For you to send me to the oubliette"

The goblins gasped and stared Jareth, who looked at Sarah with a perplexed look on his face. "The oubliette?"

"Naturally. I don't intend to spend any amount of time with you here in the castle, so I think the oubliette would be best"

He was going to laugh at her but the dead serious expression on her face made him think twice. He frowned. "No"

Now it was Sarah's turn to look confused. "No?"

"No. You will remain here in the castle, I have already had a room prepared for you"

"So un-prepare it. I have no intentions of staying in here with you"

He gave her a warning look. "Sarah beware. I am king here, and I make the rules. Do not defy me"

"Some king" she spat, ignoring the gasps of the goblins she continued to rant. "The only rules you know are your own, and they're not very good rules, either. Tricking people into staying where they wish not to, casting spells on unknowing victims, bullying your subjects to do your bidding. You are nothing but a liar and a cheat!"

"A cheat you say? How so?" he asked, sitting down in his over-sized throne and heaving one leg over the side.

"You interfered with me during my run in the Labyrinth! You bullied poor Hoggle into giving me that peach, knowing full well the consequences of such an action! You tried to make me forget Toby!"

"Hogsfeet is one of my subjects, just like you, and he did as he was told. And no one forced you to eat the fruit, you did that all on your own"

"His name is Hoggle!!" she said with a stamp of her foot, coming to the defense of her dear friend.

He waved a hand dismissivley. "It matters not. What is the term that humans say? 'No use crying over spilt milk'? And for your information, it is well within my rights to 'interfere', as you say, with any runner of the Labyrinth. I am King, remember?"

"It's not ......right" she caught herself, blushing as Jareth grinned. "This whole thing is not right, and you know it! You twist the rules to your advantage!"

"Are you still thinking like a human, precious?"

Her eyebrow ticked in agitation. "How else do you expect I should think?? I'm human!!!"

"Ah, indeed you were. But you are no longer in the human realm, and you would do well to remember it. The rules are quite different here than in the Aboveground, or did your last trip to my kingdom teach you nothing?" he smirked at her as she started to vibrate with fury.

"As if you don't know! You've been stalking me for years and...wait, what do you mean _were_?"

"I mean you were human, now you are more of a changling, a side effect of the bonding spell. Fae magic is coursing through your veins at this very moment and changing you, and soon you will be a fae. And watching over my property is not something I would consider stalking, precious."

She was at a loss. It was constantly one thing after another, never did it seem to let up. She didn't know whether she wanted to smash something or break down in tears, her emotions were in turmoil and she wasn't sure what she should be feeling anymore. All because of one tiny bit of an enchanted peach, because of that she was bound to Jareth and turning into a fae. She had never blamed Hoggle for giving her the peach, she understood he did it out of fear of Jareth, she had forgiven him. But she could not forgive Jareth.

"You....you monster!" she cried, anger and hurt suddenly flaring to life. "And then you wonder why I call you a cheater! You have no morals, do you?!"

He was taken aback by her sudden anger, but felt some of his own at the jab she made at his upbringing.

"Of course I have morals" he said defensivley.

"Oh really? I beg to differ!" she spat at him. "Had you any morals you would have never cast that spell on me! You would have never tried to deceive me. You would have never lied to me!!! If you had any morals you would have asked me!"

He shot up out of his seat and stomped over to her. "I _**DID**_ ask you! I offered you your dreams, or have you forgotten? I offered you the chance to stay here with me in the Goblin Kingdom. It was _**YOU**_ who refused!"

"Yeah sure, you asked me, after the fact! And I refused because I couldn't trust you! I still can't trust you! You had no intentions of ever letting me truly leave this place, did you?"

"No. I did not" he answered honestly

"Then why did you allow me to think I had won? Why did you let me return to the Aboveground in the first place instead of declaring your victory back then?"

"Because you were too young then" he barked. "No more than a girl on the cusp of womanhood, too young to change, too immature. I was waiting for you to grow and mature before bringing you back to the Labyrinth, but as you can see, things did not work out the way I had intended them to."

"So, what? You intended to bring me back here to be your toy? A walking, talking toy for your amusement?"

"What _are_ you blathering about?"

"You intended to bring me back because I amused you, isn't that right? I'm just a plaything to you, aren't I? Why else would you bring me back?"

_'Oh Sarah, how close you are to the truth, and yet how wrong you are' _his heart lamented.

"Do you really think so little of me, Sarah?"

Her heart ached slightly at the pained tone in his voice, and even more when he spoke her name, for the first time since her return her mind noted. She pushed her feelings to the deepest and lowest part of her heart, she had no reason to trust this man after all he had done to her.

"And why do you think I should feel any different towards you? I don't think you've done anything that could possiby warrant a change in my thoughts concerning you, do you? You have given me no reason to trust you at all."

He remaind silent, staring down at Sarah with his hauntingly beautiful eyes that were so full of emotion.

_'Fool' _he berated himself mentally. _'You knew that she did not trust you from the beginning, not that you have given her a reason to believe a word you say. Your haste and rash actions, even out of affection, have caused this chasm between you and her. And who's to say if it can be mended or not. Trust is not something simply built overnight, and it seems that she just may never fully trust you. Though she shall spend eternity here it may be too late to fix past mistakes'_

He felt ashamed of his treatment of this girl. He should have listened to his mother when she warned him to treat her better, giving her the respect she deserved and being honest with her. His deep affection had dominated his common sense and, in fear of loosing her, had done things that no man should ever do to the woman he loved. While he had not outright lied to her he had hidden the truth from her, which she had made abundantly clear was the same thing in her eyes.

When he came out of his thoughts he found her staring quite strangley at him, as if trying to read him. He couldn't stop the slight upturn at the corners of his mouth. There still just might be hope left. The last thing he wanted was to butt heads with her anymore today, she was angry, confused and apparently hurt by his seemigly cruel and insensitive treatment of her. Instead of using his authority to restrict her he decided to do the exact opposite, using his authority over her would only crush her spirit and that was something he would never do. He would rather set her free than to ever see her spirit diminish in the slightest. But before he would ever relinquish his hold on her he was going to at least attempt to set straight the wrong he had done, even if she never returned his feelings they might at least come to some sort of equal footing as friends.

"Perhaps you are right"

Sarah blinked owlishly at him, wondering if her anger had caused her brain to fry like an egg in a skillet and she had imagined him admitting that he was wrong. Jareth, of all people, admitting he was in the wrong? She half expected him to laugh at any moment and yell 'just kidding!'.

"Huh?"

"I have given you no reason to trust me. I will give no reasons to my actions but only to say that they were not done out of hatred or ill intent, and I hope to intend to prove it, if you will let me?"

This was too strange. "Are you.....apologizing..to me?"

He nodded his head. "I am"

Well, he hadn't outright apologized to her, but she supposed that was as close as she was ever going to get. She felt some of the animosity clearing in the atmosphere between them, and she sighed a bit in relief. She didn't want to fight with him, especially if she were bound to him for the rest of her now unnatural life, she wanted to at least try to get along with him. She wanted to go back to the times when she didn't think of him as the evil goblin king, but as misunderstood. She never really thought he was evil, even if he did seem to enjoy pissing her off at every opporunity.

She scrutinized him for a moment before sticking out her hand to him, pulling it back abruptly before he could take it in his own.

"Don't take it if you don't mean it. And I cannot say what kind of relationship we will ever have or that I will ever fully trust you, but I give you my word that I will try my best if you try your best. Do we understand each other, Goblin King?" she warned, searching his eyes as she awaited an answer from him.

Her eyes were so deep and so full of emotion, but the one emotion he found within her sparkling jade eyes that surprised him most was hope. What was it that she hoped for, he wondered. He didn't know. But it was enough for his own tiny spark of hope to flare slightly.

_'Titania squeezed her son's hand. "Do not despair, Jareth. For there is hope."_

_ "There is?"_

_ She nodded. "Yes. But dear, try not to screw up again. I get the feeling that this young woman does not trust so easily, especially to someone who has already proven themselves a liar" She grinned__.'_

Jareth heard his mother's advice ring clearly in his mind and he smiled.

_'Do not worry, mother. I have no intentions of bungling things again'_

He reached out one gloved hand and grabbed her previously outstretched hand and shook it gently, relishing in the warmth of her hand in his.

"We have an accord, precious. And please, call me Jareth" he said with a wink.

"Jareth" she said, blushing slightly as he smiled.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, hand in hand and smiling at each other. The bitterness, hatred and resentment were pushed from the room and contentment and happiness rushed to take its place. The air was light and the darkness vanished and even though Sarah was still not sure about the new situation she found herself in, or this man infront of her, things seemed to be taking a turn in the right direction.

_'Maybe things really will work out down here. If things continue on like this I daresay I just might actually start enjoying myself'_

A familiar, if not painful, lightning spark zapped up Sarah's arm. She flinched but did not release his hand.

"Now we are truly bonded together" Jareth told her.

"What do you mean? I thought that spell bound us together?"

"Indeed it did, but you had no knowledge of the binding so you could not accept it in your heart. And when you did have the knowledge, you rejected it. But it seems that now you have accepted the binding, which sealed the deal. From now on Sarah, we share bond that can never be severed. Both our hearts, minds and bodies are bonded. Together as one. Forever."

His tone was so full of emotion that Sarah's heart sped up just a bit. He spoke as if he were speaking to a lover, not someone who he had just had a screaming match with. Feelings that she had tried time and time again to destroy burst from their 'cages' in her heart and swam free to the surface, swallowing her whole.

She still didn't know whether or not she could trust him but the feelings of attraction for him would not be ignored, but somehow this felt like no mere ordinary attraction to her. This felt more....intense. Another side effect of the binding spell, perhaps? Whatever it was it was consuming her entire body, causing her heart to race and her breath's to come out in short pants, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't tear her eyes away from his.

Her breath all but stopped as his head started to slowly dip towards her's, and though somewhere in her head a voice was telling her to back away, that she couldn't trust this man, yet her heart was doing funny things in her chest that she had never felt before. It wouldn't have mattered which of them were in charge for Sarah's feet wouldn't have obeyed her commands anyway, her legs and feet felt like they had suddenly transformed into lead, and she watched in slow motion as Jareth's head descended closer and closer.

He was but a few scant centimeter's from claiming her lips when the door to his throne room suddenly flew open, a very energetic goblin with a long white moustache and what she had always associated with a viking's helmet ontop his thin white hair. She heard a low growl in the back of his throat before he returned to his full height and stalked towards the little goblin who dropped to his knee's before his king, begging forgivness.

Sarah felt a warm heat invade her cheeks and she was sure she was as red as a beet, watching him as he dealt with the source of his irritation, which kind of make her snicker because usually _she_ was the source of his irritation. It was sort of nice to be on the other side of the looking glass, she had to admit.

"Grimlock!" he ground out slowly, "there had better be a _very_ good reason for this interruption."

"Yes, your majesty! A thousand pardon's, your majesty! Please forgive this humble servant, your majesty!" the little goblin wailed, bowing as he groveled

Another low growl rumbled from the Goblin King's throat and an impatient 'tap' from his boot, a promise that if he did not hurry up and surrender the information that said boot would connect with his ass and send him flying. The interruption had not been a welcome one, things had been going so well with Sarah and he did not appreciate the moment being ruined.

"Your majesty" Grimlock bellowed, "he is coming!!!"

Jareth narrowed his eyes, frowning at the lack of details given. "Who?"

"The man!"

His eyebrow ticked and he tried to hold his temper. "What man, Grimlock? And you had best specific"

"Lord Duane! We have just received word that he is on his way! He will be here in three days!"

Jareth's eyes narrowed into slits. Lord Duane, fomer Lord of the South, until Jareth revealed his plot to overthrow High King Oberon and assume power over Avalon and the Aboveground shortly after. The two had always been at each other's throats ever since he could remember, and always because Duane had tried to gain power over him and his kingdom, thinking the goblins, and him by association, were nothing but simple minded halfwit's who would bend under his authority.

He had been sorley mistaken. Goblin's were not known for their intelligence, though some were more quick witted than others, nor were they known for their great power. However Lord Duane had not anticipated the goblin's fierce loyalty, and while not powerful on their own, in great numbers they were a force to be reckoned with indeed.

Now an underling to the Troll King and taking refuge in the lands to the south, stripped of his magical powers by Oberon, he was very rarely heard from. Jareth had always had suspicions that he was laying in wait, slowly regaining his power and creating new scheme's in which to overthrow him and his father. He doubted that he had taken defeat very well and most likley held Jareth responsible for his downfall, and he had always kept the fact that someday he would probably attempt to claim his revenge in the back of his mind.

So, the question now was why now? What had stirred that bastard out of hibernation and given him the idea to visit the Goblin Kingdom?

Sarah peeked at Jareth from over his shoulder, slightly concerned by the worried look he wore.

"Aaaah! The girl!" Grimlock cried in fear, grabbing both sides of his face with his hands.

Jareth, surprised, came back out of his thoughts and realized Sarah was standing directly behind him, and that she was the subject of his minion's outburst.

Sarah blinked at the goblin. "Pardon me?"

"The girl that ate the peach and forgot everything! She's in the castle! Run for your lives!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" he cried, turning on his heel and tearing out of the room.

Sarah blinked again. "What was all that about?"

Jareth chuckled. "Well, you can't blame him, can you? After all, the last time you were in the Goblin City you nearly destroyed it"

"I did no such thing" she huffed. "They attacked me first. I was quite happy just to sneak my way into the castle, but noooo! They started shooting their canon's at me. _THEY_ nearly destroyed the Goblin City. Not me"

He grinned. "Touche, precious."

She smiled brightly at her small victory over the Goblin King. After a moment she sobered. She wanted to know who this Lord Duane person was, and why he caused Jareth to wear such a troubled face.

"Who is that person?" she asked gently.

"Lord Duane," he spat, "the former Lord of the southern lands until about four thousand years ago when I uncovered his plot to take over Avalon, and from there, the Aboveground."

Sarah's eyes widened. Take over the Aboveground? Was that even possible?

"Why? Why did he want to take over the Aboveground?" she asked, suddenly quite fearful for her family that remained there.

Jareth shook his head. "Nobody ever found out quite why, he keeps the secret hidden deep within himself. The only sure thing was that he desired power above all else and would do whatever it took to gain it, even if it brought chaos and doom to everyone who stood in his way. He killed the Ogre King who had took him in as an advisor, took his position and declared war on my kingdom, but in the midst of the war I came across some rather interesting documents that he had stolen away, documents which contained forbidden and very powerful, dark magic spells.

I presented the evidence to High Lord Oberon and Duane was found guilty of assassination of High Lord Geruxs, former High Lord of the south, and attempted assassination of High King Oberon. He was stripped of his powers, rank and nearly banished from Avalon. However, Lord Malakili, the Troll Lord, intervened on Duane's behalf, claiming that he could use his services. High King Oberon spared Duane and left him in Lord Malakili's hands only because he was in debt to the him. Since then, Duane has made little appearances outside the southern lands"

Sarah shivered. This man was coming here? She didn't like it, not one bit. Something in her gut was telling her that a storm was brewing, a very vicious storm that was threatening to destroy everything and everyone in the Underground. A gentle yet firm squeeze on her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts and she looked up into the comforting eyes of Jareth, who smiled down at her.

"There is no need to be distressed, Sarah. Duane was stripped of his magic and holds no power any longer, he is nothing but a nuisance that must be put up with."

She gave him a feeble smile and nodded her head, taking comfort in his powerful presence. There was nothing to fear as long as he was near, and she got the distinct feeling that the two of them would be sharing alot of time together from this moment on.

"Now then, it is surley past lunch. What say I have the cooks prepare us a light lunch? We could eat in the gardens, if you prefer, and talk more then."

Feeling more at ease at his offer to switch topics she nodded. "Yes, thank you. Lunch sounds great."

He ordered a random goblin to deliver the message to his private chef's and then offered her his arm, which after a momen's hesitation she took it and they started their walk to his private gardens.

"So" he started nonchalantly, "have you changed your mind yet?"

She looked up at him curiously. "About what?"

"Staying in the oubliette?" he grinned down at her.

She giggled and nodded. "If it's not too much trouble, yes, I would like to retract that request"

"Consider it done"

"Thank you" she whispered shyly.

The rest of the walk to the gardens was filled with light chatter and laughter, and lunch carried on much the same way. Sarah found she rather liked this new and improved Jareth, he was witty and clever and a very interesting conversational companion all in all. In no time at all she had forgotten the fact that a power hungry murderer was on his way to the Goblin King's front door and the sense of dread and anxiety that had filled her a short while ago, kicking it out in favour of the happiness and contentment that being with Jareth was bringing her.

"S-Sarah...? Is that.......r-r-really you.......?"

Sarah craned her head back to find an astonished Hoggle staring at her, his spraycan dropped and forgotten.

"Hoggle??" Sarah whispered, slowly rising from her seat.

They stared at each other for a couple moments before Sarah burst out into tears and ran to the little dwarf that had become her best friend so many years ago.

"HOGGLE!!!!!!!!!" she cried, dropping to her knee's infront of him and clutching him to her while she sobbed, while he hugged her back as best he could with his stubby little arms.

"Oh, Hoggle! I've missed you so!"

"I missed you too, Sarah! Been bloody boring as hell here without you!"

Jareth watched the interaction with a ghost of a smile. Even after six years the little dwarf was still under Sarah's spell, as was he, a spell she needed no magic to cast. It was the spell of her friendship, loyalty, determination and imagination. Sarah might have been mortal born but she never had been, and would never be, just an ordinary mortal human.

He rose from his seat, waving his hand and making the dishes from lunch disappear, and approached them.

"Forgive me Sarah, but there are matters which I must tend to. Do you think we could continue our conversation over dinner?"

Sarah wiped at her tears before releasing Hoggle from her breast, turning her head and smiling at him. "Yes, I'd like that."

Hoggle narrowed his eyes when Jareth and him made eye contact. Obviously Sarah wasn't the only one with trust issues where he was concerned.

"Higgle," he started.

"Hoggle!!" he snapped.

Jareth smirked and continued, "when you and Sarah are done here, escort her back to the castle so that she may bathe and freshen up for dinner."

Hoggle grumbled something under his breath which Jareth intentionally ignored in favour of further infuriating the little dwarf, turning his attention instead back to Sarah.

"Until then, precious" he winked, and then disappeared in a flurry of glitter.

Sarah smiled at the spot where Jareth had been standing until Hoggle's voice forced her to look at him.

"What's he done to you, Sarah? Did he hurt you at all?! I swear if he so much as laid one finger on you, I'll..."

"No, Hoggle. You don't understand. He hasn't done anything to me at all. I'm fine, for the most part"

He raised a furry eyebrow at her. "You sure he hasn't done nothin' to you?"

Sarah smiled and nodded. "You know, things aren't always as they appear to be, Hoggle" she giggled.

Hoggle's mouth dropped open.

* * *

Yay! I'm back! With another chapter in tow! And looky! Sarah is setting aside old greivances and trying to get to know and better understand Jareth. Awwh! n_n. And now enter Hogsfeet!

Hoggle: It's Hoggle, damnit all!

^^; Ah, yes, Hoggle. *ahem* Anywho, a new, and very real, enemy has appeared before our two lovely characters! What could this Lord Duane truly be up to? Sounds like a sneaky s.o.b. to me _¬_¬_

Hope you all enjoyed the latest installment of this story.


	9. Chapter 9

"Sarah...have you hit yer head latley?" Hoggle inquired honestly.

She burst out laughing. She couldn't really blame him for thinking she had gone completley bonkers, afterall when they had parted ways Jareth had still been their 'enemy'. She could understand Hoggle's hatred toward the Goblin King though, the self-proclaimed coward having been bullied and threatened more than once with a dip in the bog of eternal stench by said king.

"No, I have not hit my head, Hoggle. I'm just trying to understand Jareth better, that's all. It seems that I will be spending a very long time here, and I would hate to spend it all arguing and feeling nothing but animosity. If I am going to live here I would like to enjoy myself, and to accomplish that I need to get better acquainted with him."

"What _**ARE**_ you talkin' 'bout, Sarah? Whattya mean you're gonna live here?! Did that rat bring you back here? I should've known! If he think's he can get away with this he's got another thing comin'!" Hoggle ranted, shaking a fist menacingly.

"Hoggle, wasn't it you who was, in fact, preaching to me that _I_ took to many things for granted?" she asked with a small smile, a twinkle of mirth in her eyes.

Hoggle's temper, delflated and defeated, slunk away miserably and confusion took its place.

Sarah sat back in her seat and gestured to the seat across from her. "Come, my dear friend, there is much I need to tell you"

So Hoggle sat in quiet silence and listened to Sarah recount the last week of her life, and when she was finished he shook his head sadly.

"So, now yer stuck here, eh?"

She nodded. "Yes. But I'm trying to look at it from a different perspective, rather than being 'stuck' here. If I keep thinking like that I'll be miserable forever. I will not deny that I miss my family and my life in the Aboveground, this whole situation is new and strange and a bit frightening for me and I wish I had my family to comfort me. But I have never forgotten that I have friends here, as well". She smiled as she reached over and gently squeezed Hoggle's hand affectionatley.

He blushed but squeezed her hand back.

"Speaking of my friends, where are Ludo and Sir Didymus? Do they still live within the Labyrinth as well?"

"Aye. Didymus rebuilt that rickety ol' bridge with Ludo's help, and they both live there now. Dunno how they ever stand that horrid stench!" Hoggle said disgusted, his face paling just from speaking about it.

"Oh, how wonderful. I should like to go visit them, I miss them very much."

He nodded his head. "Sure, but I think it oughta wait 'till tomarrow. You've got dinner plans with the snake, member?"

"Hoggle!" she admonished lightly, but couldn't stop the smile that spread on her lips.

"_YOU_ may see 'em in a new light, little lady. But I sure don't! That man's been a thorn in my side since I got here! You shouldn't trust him!"

"I never said I trusted him, Hoggle" she countered. "I only said that I am being more adult about the entire situation and that I would try to get along better with him. That is not to say that someday I may trust him, but far too much has happened between us for me to trust him yet. While he may not have always outright lied to me there were many things that he kept hidden from me, such as the consequences for eating that peach. But, if I hold onto those feelings of anger and hatred and allow them to fester inside me, I'm sure I would become a horrible person. So I've decided that all of those things are in the past now, and there is nothing I can do about it now. What I _can_ do is try to enjoy myself and settle in. Really, what other choice do I have?"

Hoggle hummed and hawed for a couple minutes, no doubt mulling over her words in his head, before looking up at her and sighing in defeat.

"I s'pose yer right. Can't change the past. No matter what happens though Sarah, we'll be here for you." he said, offering her an awkward smile.

She knew that this sort of thing was new for him, expressing his friendship and offering comfort, and the gesture moved her profoundly.

"Thank you, Hoggle. I knew I could always count on you, even if you're a crotchety old dwarf" she teased good-naturedly

"What'd you call me?" he asked, shuffling out of his seat and standing infront of her, hands placed firmly on his hips.

"You heard me" she smiled, raising herself from her own seat.

"Yah, well it beat's being a thick-headed lil girl, now don't it?" he retorted.

She held a hand to her chest in mock hurt. "Oh that hurt, Hedgewart"

"It's Hoggle!!!!" he declared, rushing forward only for Sarah to sidestep him.

"Whatever you say, Hogwart" she giggled, winking at him and sticking out her tongue playfully.

And with that Sarah took off with Hoggle on her heels, her laughing merrily while he grumbled angirly behind her, the small smile on his lips however betrayed the fact that he was enjoying it as much as she. She jogged slowly, taking into account Hoggle's short leg's, and continued to tease him all the way back to the castle. She hated to part with him but she had to get ready for dinner and he still had chores to tend to, so with a promise to meet with her tomarrow in the garden and to take her to see her two dearly missed friends, they went their seperate ways.

She headed in the direction of the throne room, guessing that was were Jareth could be found, to query about the location of her new bedroom. Halfway there she was stopped by a feminine voice from behind her.

"Ah, you must be the Lady Sarah?"

Sarah turned to the newcomer and was momentarily stunned by her beauty. Long deep green colored hair, sporadically braided, framed a slightly tanned face with two bright copper colored eyes. Her pale green colored dress was a simple one but tasteful, and Sarah felt rather at ease with her.

"Yes. And you are...?"

"I am Ritsa, my lady. His majesty has given me the duty of being your maid from now on. I'm very honoured to meet you" she said, sweeping into a low curtsey, her supple locks of hair falling foward slightly.

With the hair moved, Sarah could plainly see the girls ear's, a slight point on the tip of each one.

"Yes. I am half elf" Ritsa supplied, returning to her standing position with a smile.

"Oh!" Sarah exclaimed, blushing. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to stare! It's just that...I've never...."

"Seen an elf? I understand. There are not many folk here who do not know of your life in the Aboveground, or your trails here in the Goblin Kingdom, my lady. I assure you that I take no offence."

Sarah nodded and mentally sighed. Her life was an open book down here, it seemed. Everyone she had met so far knew about her careless wish to the Goblin King, her run through the Labyrinth, and her life after she returned home. She really couldn't understand what was so fascinating about her or her life.

"So Ritsa, was it?"

"Yes, my lady"

"My first request as your lady is for you to call me Sarah" she said with a smile. "I would rather our relationship not be one of a servant and maid, but rather as friends."

Ritsa smiled at her. "I can see why his majesty is so fond of you, Sarah. You truly are a curious one."

Sarah smiled back. "So I've been told"

Ritsa giggled and then beckoned Sarah to follow her. "His majesty has told me to show you to your room and help you to freshen up, please, come this way"

"Help me freshen up?"Sarah questioned as she followed behind the half-elf woman.

She nodded. "Yes. Draw your bath, help you bath, help you to dress, brush your hair. That sort of thing."

Shyly Sarah crossed her arms over her chest. "Uuh, you really don't have to do that, Ritsa. I mean, not that I don't appreciate your help, but I've been doing it just fine all these years by myself and uhh....."

Ritsa giggled. "Do not be shy, I have helped many lady guests at the castle bathe and dress. And besides, you do not look as though you have anything that you should not be proud of."

Sarah's blush deepend and Ritsa giggled again.

"Such a curious girl" she repeated. "Other women would die to have your body, while you choose to hide it instead."

"It's not that I'm really ashamed of my body" Sarah started awkwardly, "I'm just not used to having anyone see me......you know.......like......that..."

Ritsa nodded her understanding. "If it will comfort you, then I shall merely draw your bath and set out your clothing. Is this acceptable to you?"

Sarah nodded quickly. "Yes, thank you."

They turned down a few more hallways and Sarah occupied herself by trying to remember all the twists and turns they had made so far so that she might be able to at least find her own way to her bedroom, when Ritsa stopped outside a large wooden door.

"Here we are, Sarah. This is your room, and that" she said, pointing to a much larger and more elaborate door decorated with various designs almost directly across from her own door, "is his majesty's bed chambers"

Sarah blushed and groaned. He placed her room as close as he possibly could to his own, without having her physically in his room.

_'I'll just bet he wants to catch me in my night clothes or something, that big pervert!' _

_'Well why not let us make things even and try to catch __him__ in his night clothes, then? That would make things fair, would they not?'_ her mind suggested slyly.

A picture of Jareth laying on his bed with nothing but a blanket to hide his groin and a large grin on his face popped into her mind and only served to deepen her blush, and the horrible thing was that she could actually see Jareth doing something like that. Laying with head head propped up in one hand, his other hand lazily drawing random patterns in his sheets, and a very inviting look on his face, beckoning her to join him.

"Are you ill, Sarah? Your face got so flushed all of the sudden!" Ritsa said, placing a cool hand to Sarah's forehead and effectivley snapping her out of her daze.

"Aah, no! I'm fine, thanks. Just a little too much......excitement, for one day." she said, faking a smile and laughing nervously.

Ritsa shrugged. "If you are sure..."

Sarah nodded. "Yeah. Say, do you know the time, Ritsa? I'm sure it must be getting late. We better hurry up if we are to make dinner on time, right?" she babbled, eager to switch topics and forget Jareth and his stupid bed.

"Oh my goodnes! How right you are, Sarah" Ritsa gasped, pushing open the doors and tugging Sarah inside. "Come, we must quicken the pace, lest you are late"

The room was spacious and bright and it took her breath away, it was even more magnificent than the room she had in Avalon. There was a large desk on one side of the wall and a tall oval shaped mirror sat beside it, two couches sat across from one another on the opposite end of the room with a glass coffee table inbetween them, a large closet sat off to the side of them, and in the middle of the room sat a large four poster bed. If she were to guess at the size, she would have had to say that it was a queen sized mattress, with what looked like silk sheets, dyed a deep red color. Thin veils of white fabric hung around the bed and Sarah likened them to spider webs spun from crystal thread, glistening with diamond dewdrops in rays of the morning sunlight. There was a door off to the right of her bed, which she supposed would be the bathroom.

All in all, the room was everything she could have hoped for. It was beautiful but not too outrageous, simple and yet elegant. Though, she supposed she shouldn't have really been surprised. Jareth had been watching her for years, afterall, so it was no wonder that he could furnish a room that she would adore. She should have felt irritated at the thought but she didn't, instead she found herself smiling and thinking fondly of him. He had gone through all the trouble of making sure the room was perfect, for her. Making every last detail acceptable.

_'How you've turned my world, you precious thing._

_ You starve and near exhaust me._

_ Everything I've done, I've done for you.'_

His words stung and she guiltily hung her head in shame. Earlier today she had berated him for his treatment of her, but she never stopped to think of how she had treated him. How could he have ever possibly wanted her to return to his kingdom? Though she had no idea of how hard he had worked to make her happy all those years before she entered the Labyrinth it was no excuse for her bad behaviour, and it seemed that Jareth should not have been the only one to apologize.

_'No crying over spilt milk' _her mind reminded her gently.

She internally nodded. She couldn't do anything about the past now, because that's just what it was; the past. But she could do something now, in the present, to attempt to make amends.

_'This whole looking at things in a different light can really suck. I'm not too fond of discovering that I was at fault, as well'_ she pouted.

_'That's maturity for you'_ her mind nodded.

"This way to the bath, Sarah" Ritsa's voice rang.

She blinked. _'I've really gotta stop spacing out infront of people. One of these days it's really gonna bite me in the ass'_

She was led to an equally spacious bathroom with a large white clawfoot crystal tub, and she blinked again.

"Now that's cool" she said, staring at it with wonder.

Upon her examination she found that there were no fixtures or anything with which to fill or empty it, and she bit back a groan.

"Don't tell me that we have to haul hot water from somewhere else to fill the tub?"

The half-elf shook her head, her eyes full of amusement. "No. But before we fill the tub we must choose a scent for the water, and if you wish, a mineral"

"Well, what kind of scents do you have here?"

"It matters not, the liquid itself is odourless. You need only to hold the bottle in your hand and remember the scent. The liquid is full of magic which will turn it from odourless to the fragrance of your choice" she explained, holding out a small vial to her.

"Oh, alright then" She said, accepting the offered vial and cocking her head to the side and thought for a moment. "I guess...vanilla scented? And uhh....what sort of mineral do you suggest, Ritsa?"

"Well, I suppose I would suggest wormswart and thistle's milk"

"....."

Ritsa laughed. "They are for a weary mind, dear Sarah. They are to help reduce stress, and they are also very good for nourishing skin."

Sarah sighed. "Do you think I will ever get used to living here, Ritsa? This is so....well, it's not at all what I'm used to"

"I am sure that as time passes you will adjust to life in the Underground, Sarah. The first little bit is challenging, to be sure, but as long as you push forward and never give up, you will be just fine" she said reassuringly.

"You sound almost as if you have gone through it before" Sarah noted, and Ritsa nodded.

"A very long time ago. I was eight years old. My father was an abusive drunk and after coming home one night to me crying in my bed, he wished that I would be taken away. That was when his majesty came for me. My father was offered the chance to run the Labyrinth and win me back, but laughed in my king's face and asked why he would want to do something so foolish? I was scared at the time, being surrounded by goblins and their king in a completley new land, without anyone I knew and no comfort to speak of. But when his majesty spoke to me, I was comforted. His words were gentle as were his eyes.

He told me that he had taken me away from my father because he had wished it and refused to try to get me back, and so I would begin a new life here, in the Underground. To say that I felt relieved that I no longer had to put up with the abuse and cruelty of my father would be an understatment. And no matter where it was that I went or who surrounded me, I felt far safer than I had since I could remember. I was adopted by a pair of elves who could conceive no children of their own and who had always wanted a child, and bound to them by elven and fae magic. While I am neither elf, fae or human, my life span has stretched far beyond a human's normal life span, and I have lived happily with my elven parents in the Underground for about six hundred and thirty two years now.

When I became older, I offered my services to his majesty as thanks for rescuing me from the man who held no love nor affection for me since the day I was born. I have since been a maid for his majesty, living out my days repaying him for kindness that I had never known until he saved me."

Sarah's eyes watered. "How terrible" she whispered.

Ritsa closed her eyes and smiled. "No, Sarah. How wonderful. I hate to think what would have become of me had his majesty not came for me. I would probably be dead by now."

"No, I mean how terrible that he did not even want to win you back. You were his flesh and blood, and yet he left you to some stranger who could have done God only knows to you. Such people should not be aloud to breed, or live."

"It is all in the past" Ritsa said, "I have come to thank him for wishing me away "

Sarah flung herself forward and embraced the she-elf, holding onto her tightly. "He has lost a great treasure in you, Ritsa. I am glad that Jareth found you so that you could be here for me to be friends with now" she whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek and falling into Ritsa's emerald hair.

Ritsa patted Sarah's back soothingly. "Thank you, Sarah. Now," she said, her tone upbeat as if nothing had transpired at all, "let us get you washed for dinner, hmm?"

Sarah nodded and released her, wiping the moisture from her eyes.

* * *

The hours ticked away slowly for the Goblin King as he tried time and time again to focus on the paperwork infront of him, growling softly when the words refused to absorb into his brain. He could not put Sarah out of his mind no matter how hard he tried, and though he didn't necessarily mind her beautiful face in his mind's eye, he also knew that he had papers that needed to be read and signed accordingly.

Her beautiful laughter as they talked in the garden and the way she listened intently to him as he spoke, and even her face flushed in anger as she shouted at him, everything about her had him completley mesmerized. And tonight they would dine together. He was a happy man indeed, the time to prove himself to the girl he had watched from afar for so many years was within his grasp and he was determined not to let her slip away from him again.

The only thing that soured his mood was the fact that that annoying pest, Duane, was on his way to his castle. Try as he might, he could not figure out for the life of him what the man could possibly want. Why was he coming here? What purpose did he have? The only time he had stepped foot on Labyrinth soil was when he had declared war, but not since then. What could have changed since then?

A pair of soft green eyes invaded his mind, shining brightly with many mixed emotions.

Sarah.

It hit him. Sarah. Sarah's return to the Underground was the single thing that had changed in so many years, and he had no doubt that every being in the Underground was aware of her return. Could that be it? Could Sarah be the reason for Duane's return? His eyes narrowed dangerously. If this man thought that he was going to get within five feet of Sarah without him beside her, he was sadly mistaken. He would allow no one to touch her. She was his. Bound to him. And she was not going anywhere if he had any say in the matter. Least of all with that insane whelp.

A clock suddenly chimed from beside him, notifying him that dinner was to be served shortly. His mood brightened and Duane was banished from his mind, his upcoming dinner with Sarah the sole thing on his mind. Paperwork could wait until later, it wouldn't be the first time he had pushed it aside for something far more entertaining. He waved his hand and transported himself to his bed chambers, changing into a pair of black fitted breeches and his white poet's shirt, the button's undone to bare his chest and the golden amulet that hung around his neck, a pair of black leather boots donned his feet and black leather gloves donned his hands.

Checking his appearance in the mirror and nodding he was about to transport himself to the dining hall when musical laughter suddenly filled the air, halting him in his movements. He recognized the voices as Sarah's and Ritsa's, and couldn't help but smile. The fact that the two women were getting along so well gave him great pleasure, he had been sure that Ritsa would make an excellent friend for Sarah, and it seemed as if he had been correct in his assumption.

Peals of laughter continued to echo throughout the hallway and his curiousity was piqued. Not normally one to eavesdrop he found himself making an exception, curious to discover just what it was that had the two girls laughing so loudly. Creeping out of his bed chamber and silently walking over to the door, he pressed his ear lightly against it and listened intently.

"They did not!" Ritsa exclaimed, giggling.

"I'm telling you they did!" Sarah insisted.

"You mean to tell me they actually tried to remove your head?"

Sarah laughed at the memory. "Yes. I guess they thought that since they could remove their limbs that I should have been able to, as well."

"What did you do then, Sarah?"

"I took off their heads, flung them into the bushes, and ran for it!"

Both girls laughed again.

"It sounds like it would have been frightening"

"It was at first. I wasn't exactley laughing at the time, having them suddenly jump out of nowhere at me and then suddenly take off their heads and poke out their eyeballs with their fingers and use them as dice. I was scared. But now that I look back on it, I find it actually quite amusing"

Jareth grinned. She was re-telling the tale of her journey through his Labyrinth, and by the sounds of it, she had enjoyed it, at least partially. He found his heart swelling with joy. She had enjoyed his Labyrinth, even if she hadn't thought so at the time.

"You want to know something kind of weird, Ritsa?" Sarah asked suddenly, stalling Jareth's thoughts as he listened once more.

"What's that?"

"I actually would like to go through the Labyrinth again. I know it sounds odd, but I was thinking the other day that I probably had misjudged the Labyrinth entirely. I had been so scared at the time that I think I made the Labyrinth to be far worse than it was, and I think I've missed out on alot of its beauty. Like the part where the Labyrinth turned from stone walls into a hedge maze, and I could actually see the castle beyond the goblin city more clearly, it was a beautiful sight that I couldn't enjoy for more than a second before having to race off again and try to find my way. Does this make any sense at all?"

"Yes, of course Sarah. When a person feels frightened, even if what is around them is a sight to behold, it will be marred by fear and the sight will not be true. It is natural that, now that you have the opporunity, you wish to see the Labyrinth for what it really is and correct your past assessment."

"I'm glad you understand, Ritsa. For a little while there I was starting to think I might have gone mad. I mean, to want to re-visit a place that had been so scary at the time? It sounded completley ridiculous to me. Thank you for helping me to clear my mind."

"Think nothing of it, Sarah. Now come, I have finished dressing your hair, it is time to meet with the king for dinner. Are you ready?"

He heard Sarah let out a long breath before she answered, his heart momentarily frozen.

"Yes, I'm ready. Let's go"

He heaved a sigh of relief. He disappeared before he could be discovered and transported himself to the dining hall to wait for Ritsa to escort Sarah to him, straightening out his clothing and trying to calm his nerves. Imagine, him, the mighty Goblin King, nervous over dinner with a girl.

_'Not just any girl. The girl who holds the other half of your soul, and your heart.'_

He closed his eyes and smiled. Not a smirk or a grin, but an honest to goodness smile. He still had trouble believing that she was here in the Underground and in the halls of his castle, he had dreamt about this day for years and now it was truly happening. Though things had not gone quite how he had envisioned them to. He had wanted to create a wicked storm and make a grand entrance before her in her bedroom through the window, as he had done six years ago when she had first laid eyes upon him. But instead of trying to sway her from coming to his castle, he was going to romance and seduce her, bringing her back with him as his queen.

He shook his head with a small chuckle. No, things had certainly not turned out how he thought they would. But, perhaps this way was better. She had laid out her feelings and thoughts infront of him and now he knew exactley where he stood with her. And she knew where she stood with him. Well, for the most part. She was not aware of just how deep his feelings ran for her and he quite liked it that way for now, he refused to divulge the fact that she held his beating heart in her two small hands until he was sure how she felt about him. The last thing he needed was for him to declare his love for her and either have her laugh in his face, or be scared off by it.

The last time he had offered himself to this girl she had refused him and broken his heart, and at the time he thought it ignorance on her part. Too young and innocent to understand what he was offering to her. And that very well have been the case, partially. The other part was that she had thought him nothing but a liar, how could she trust him not to betray her? To speak of his fake love for her for the sole purpose of victory? He had seen in her eyes the regret she held within her as she spoke the words that seperated them for six long years, thinking he had just seen what he had wanted to see, but with his mother's help he had seen the truth. She was just as afraid as he of handing over her heart to someone who could very easily crush it, especially to a man who she had no good reason to trust.

But all that was about to hell or high waters he would prove that she could always trust him, and he would show her the love that burned for her within his heart. He understood the path was not an easy one and that he would have to tread lightly and slowly, but she was worth it. She had always been worth it. All the things he had gone through for her, he didn't regret it in the least.

The shuffling of feet caught his attention, he opened his eyes and was greeted with the single most breathtaking sight he would ever behold in his long life. Sarah was standing in the entrance to the dining hall, blushing prettily and shyly meeting his gaze. She wore a simple black dress with thin straps that came down just below her knee's and a black pair of black platform sandals with a 4'' heel. Her long hair freely cascaded over her shoulders and framed her beautiful face, and even from a distance he could tell the only sort of makeup she was wearing was a bit of lip gloss. He grinned. Sarah would never need the aid of makeup to bring out her beauty, the addition of makeup would rather conceal her natural beauty.

It took him a moment to gather his wits about him before he advanced towards her, bowing slightly at the waist once he stood before her. He had to bite back a groan as her scent invaded his nostrils, a sweet yet calming fragrance that both aroused him and calmed him at the same time, and he found himself thinking how Sarah-like the scent was. She curtsied before him and took the hand he offered to her, allowing him to lead her to the table.

"You look lovely, Sarah" he complimented, grinning when her blush deepend.

"Thank you. You clean up very well yourself, Jareth" she grinned back, and he chuckled.

He pulled out the chair for her before seating himself, weaving his fingers together and setting his chin ontop of them, he smiled as he spoke.

"I trust your room is to your liking" he started conversationally.

She bowed her head slightly and nodded, it was now or never and she knew she would never be content with herself if she just pushed the feeling aside.

"Jareth..." she started, continuing when he had his full attention on her, "I'm.....I'm sorry"

He blinked. "What ever could you be apologizing for?"

"All the things you have done for me in the past, all the wishes you had granted for me, all the help you gave me. I have never once thanked you for any of it. And I'm sorry. I very much appreciate all that you have done for me, Jareth. Truly. I don't think I would be who I am today if it hadn't been for you"

He was bewildered, to say the least. Sarah had never been made aware of his interferences in her past, only becoming aware of him the day she wished away Toby, and then she had only thought him as evil. But here she sat now thanking him. She had truly matured since she had visited his Labyrinth, going from a whiny brat to a responsible and loving adult who wasn't afraid to admit when she was in the wrong. Having to re-evaluate her thoughts of him, she had come to the conclusion that he was, in fact, not evil. Sly, clever, devious and cunning, perhaps. But not evil. And now that she no longer held that title over his head things could really start to progress, trust would come and after that, hopefully, love.

He smiled softly at her. "You are welcome, Sarah."

Feeling like a great weight have been lifted off of her shoulder's, Sarah could finally relax. She wasn't sure what his reaction would be and it scared her, having no trust to a man she was bound to really sucked. But somewhere from deep within her told that it would all work out, and it had. The small seed of trust had been planted and so far it was growing quite happily.

They continued to chat about nothing in particular while they waited for dinner to be served, and when it was served Sarah found she was pleasantly surprised. Peking duck, with a side of asparagus, baked potatoes and ceasar salad. The meal she had missed, minus the salad, the day when her parents had been held prisoner in their own home by three money hungry brute's. She smiled fondly.

"Does this meal please you?"

She looked from the table to his worried glance, nodding and smiling. "Yes. It's wonderful. I remember how I had been looking forward to dinner that night, it has been a long time since I've had it. Irene was always so good at making this dish."

He nodded, relieved that he hadn't fumbled things again. He had thought it would be good for her to have a dish that she was familiar with instead of some of the more exotic foods of the Underground, maybe tomarrow night, but tonight he thought it would be better to have familiar things that would comfort her rather than new things that might over stimulate her. God knew that today, and the past few days, had been quite trying for her already.

A goblin with long pointed ears and a toothy grin waddled over inbetween Sarah and Jareth and poured a light colored liquid into their goblets, bowed, and then sauntered off. Sarah picked up the goblet and inspected its contents. Whatever the liquid was it was bubbly and smelled sweet and slightly fruity, she shrugged and tipped the goblet up, taking a small sip. It was light and refreshing, sweet and fruity with a bit of a tangy aftertaste.

"This is really good. What is it?"

"The equivalent of a sparkling wine from the Aboveground, apricot flavoured, if I'm not mistaken"

She nodded and took another small sip of the bubbly beverage, cocking her head to the side as she let the flavour roll on her tounge. She shook her head lightly. "I hate to tell you this, but you are mistaken"

One elegant brow arched. "Really? Then perhaps you would care to enlighten me?"

She smiled. "It's peach flavoured"

His smile faltered. "Peach, you say?"

She nodded. "Yep. Irene used to serve something very similar to this drink when we had dinner guests, and when I got a bit older I started drinking wine with them. This is definatley a peach flavoured wine."

He stared at her for a moment. "I could have another flavour of wine brought out, if you prefer...."

She looked at him oddly for a moment before understanding dawned on her.

"Didn't think I would ever get over that enchanted peach, huh?" she giggled.

He smiled sheepishly at her. "Not really, no."

"Well, peaches are my third favourite fruit. I'll admit I didn't eat them for a little while, but I could only pass up peach cobbler so many times"

He chuckled. "I am relieved to hear that it didn't traumatize you too badly. If peach is your third favourite fruit, what are the first two?"

"Banana's and strawberries. Very nice on their own, and even better together"

"I shall have to take care to remember that." he winked and she smiled at him.

They talked for a short bit before dinner was served, various maids fixing their dishes and re-filling goblets before setting the plate back infront of her. Sarah thanked the maid who had served her politely, who blushed furiously before giving a curtsy and hurrying away from the room.

Sarah blinked as she watched the woman nearly run full tilt out of the room.

"Was it something I said?" she said as she looked back to Jareth.

He smirked and shook his head. "No. Gwen has been thoroughly smitten with you ever since your arrival six years ago, and holds you in the highest regards. Though I am quite surprised that she was the one to serve us. The poor girl is quite painfully shy."

Sarah nodded, looking back the way the poor girl had run and feeling quite guilty. She hadn't meant to scare the poor girl off. She sighed and turned back to her meal, she would find the young woman later and speak properly with her. Afterall, the more friends, the better. Besides, it wouldn't do to have people admiring her like she was some sort of goddess. She was not perfect and she didn't want others thinking she was, the whole idea was absurd. But perhaps that was just the human part of her, knowing she had flaws and accepting them and having others accept her with her flaws. She supposed that fae, well most fae anyway, didn't think that way. But they also had years of practice to perfect hiding or correcting their flaws, whereas a human only had a short span of time in which to live. Mistakes and flaws were part of that life and there was a lesson to be learned from each one,

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and turned back to the inviting aroma of her dinner, there would be time later to find the girl but right now her stomach wanted her to concentrate on dinner. The atmosphere was bright, the conversation was light, and the food was delicious. She never thought it possible to have such a good time with him, but here she sat dining, drinking, talking and laughing the evening away. When she had returned to the Underground she thought that it was the end of her happiness, having left her entire life Aboveground to wonder where she had gone to. But she had found happiness again, and in the most unlikley of places.

_'See what can happen when you don't judge the book by its cover? If you just read the damn book you just may find something worthwhile in it'_

Sarah rolled her eyes. Okay. So she judged Jareth by his appearance. So what? She was human, it happens. ....Well, she _was_ human, anyway. But at least she was trying to get to know the real Jareth, not the Goblin King that he showed to most of the Underground. Didn't that count for anything??

Her thoughts were cut short when Grimlock came racing into the room, babbling incoherentlybefore skidding to a halt a few feet from the dinner table and dropping to his knee's and bowing.

"Your majesty! She's here!!"

Sarah's stomach knotted uncomfortably, her sixth sense kicking into high gear and making the hairs on the back of her neck stand at attention. Something very bad was looming in the distance.

_'Well, there goes the good evening I was having' _she thought with an internal groan, and she had to wonder if this particular goblin was jinxed or something.

Jareth sighed. "Who, Grimlock?"

Grimlock opened his mouth to answer but before he had the chance, a woman sauntered into the room, a seductive smile on her face.

"Good evening, your majesty"

He visibly stiffened in his seat for a brief moment before he forced himself to relax and nod his head to the woman who seemed to be devouring him whole with her eyes. Sarah bristled but her face remained impassive. She was getting a very bad vibe from this woman. Her body was lean and curvy and was covered in a red silken looking dress that clung to said curves, her onyx hair sat ontop of her head in a complicated design of curls, a few loose curls bobbing on either side of her face and infront of pointed ears. Her skin looked soft and was unblemished and to Sarah, she looked like a life sized china doll. It was her eyes that she didn't like. A beautiful crystal blue hue, but they were icy cold and unforgiving. Sarah could only describe the aura coming off this woman as evil, wicked and downright malevolent.

"Melantha" he greeted, standing from his seat. "How nice to see you. What brings you to the Goblin Kingdom unannoucned?"

"I do apologize about that, your majesty. It has been such a long time since we had last seen each other at my father's castle for my birthday galla several months ago, and it has been even longer since I have been in the halls of the castle beyond the goblin city. I thought a surprise visit would be a pleasant surprise for you."

"And what a surprise it is, indeed." Jareth replied.

"Thank you, your majesty" she said breathily, curtsying a bit.

That's when her icy gaze caught glimpse of Sarah sitting at the table, watching her wearily.

"Oh? What's this? His majesty allows humans at the dinner table? How very.....quaint."

Jareth frowned at the woman, his annoyance growing.

"Sarah is a denizen of my kingdom, and as such, shall be treated in a courteous and respectful manner"

"Forgive me, your majesty. I meant no disrespect" she curtsied low and glared daggers at Sarah under her lashes.

Sarah got the distinct feeling that this Melantha woman liked her just about as much as she liked Melantha.

"Sarah, is it?" Melantha asked as she stood upright.

Sarah nodded, rising from her seat and sizing the woman up. "Yes."

"So it is true then. The only being to ever find the castle beyond the goblin kingdom has returned. All the kingdoms are buzzing with rumours about it, but I never suspected it to be true."

"Ah. So this is why you have come?" Jareth inquired, one eyebrow rose.

Melantha grinned. "Ah, your majesty has caught me. There was indeed a third reason for my visit, I confess my curiousity got the better of me. I wanted to see for myself the human that was able to get through your magnificent Labyrinth, and what all the fuss was about her. She is attractive, for a mortal, but I fail to see what has captured his majesty's attention so thoroughly."

Jareth grinned. "Sarah is many things, my dear." He paused to turn his attention to Sarah, "But a mere mortal was never one of those things"

Sarah smiled at him as he continued to hold her gaze, until Melantha broke the magical moment.

"I...see... Well, perhaps me and...Sarah could get better acquainted, then."

Sarah had the urge to tell this woman that she would rather go skinny dipping in the bog of eternal stench, but kept silent. This woman was up to no good, even though she seemed well mannered and polite in the presence of Jareth, she had no doubt that behind closed doors was a different woman altogether. She had no intentions of giving this woman the satisfaction of riling her up, or being alone with her. Ever. She also got the feeling that Melantha wasn't particularly fond of humans, either. Human she may not be anymore, but human born she was.

"Perhaps," Jareth stated, "but not tonight. If you will excuse me, Lady Melantha, Sarah and myself have matters which must be discussed privatley"

She curtsied. "Of course, your majesty. I will retire to my room for the night, then."

He nodded before turning on his heel and walking to Sarah, taking her elbow in his hand and leading her away from the room. Sarah turned her head back just in time to see Melantha narrow her eyes dangerously at her retreating form.

* * *

Melantha scowled darkly. A human?! He was totally fascinated by that little slip of a girl! She would never have believed it if she had not seen it herself, Jareth actually seemed to prefer the company of that mortal to an elf like herself. Sure, she had no magical powers as the fae did, but there were magic spells she did know to make up for it. Mortals had neither, so why should he prefer that little girl over her? She vibrated with fury. Why of all times did that human have to come back now? Things had been progressing wonderfully with Jareth, especially at her birthday galla. They had danced and talked and had a marvelous time, all had been going according to the plans she had put hours into devising.

Jareth was a king without a queen, and she was aiming to take the spot for herself. Sure, he ruled a land filled with nasty, ugly beasts, and the decor in his castle could be improved, but beggars could not be choosers. Currently he was the only king with no spouse and she was in her prime, she would just have to make due with what was available to her.

"Filthy, disgusting, stupid mortal bitch!" she spat venomously. "I will not allow her to ruin my plans. I have put a great deal of energy and thought into them, and I will not tolerate anyone, least of all a human, to mess them up!"

She spun around and stalked off in the direction of her temporary room, her heels clicking angirly on the stone floor as she went.

_'Soon'_ she thought to herself,_ 'my place in this castle will be in Jareth's bedchambers, and I will be a queen. And when I am, the first thing to go will be that wench, Sarah.'_

* * *

"What was _that_ all about? Who is that woman?" Sarah asked when they were in the safety of his private study.

He poured them each a small glass of cognac, gesturing to the small couch that sat infront of a fireplace and handed her the glass as they both were seated.

He took a long sip before he answered.

"That is the lady Melantha, daughter of the Elf Lord Na-reth, of the house Dwin'neldth (Walkers in the arcane)"

"The arcane?"

He nodded. "Elves, as I am sure you are aware, possess no magical ability of their own like fae. And yet their live spans are well beyond that of a mortal's, and their senses a great deal more powerful as well. However, this was not always the case. Originally elves possessed a small fraction of magical ability, mostly the ability to heal, make the plants grow and flowers bloom, and the like. However, one decided that it wasn't enough, and began to experiement with his powers. He was Kor-Tia. He found that he could destroy just as well as he could create, and that he could command the tree's and the flowers as he pleased.

By reversing the effects of his healing ability, he could take life away. By re-arranging a few atoms in flowers, he could make them puff out a toxic gas. His research went on and on, becoming more dark and sinister as the years passed, until finally his magic consumed and destroyed him. Some say the magic developed a mind of its own, born of his evil ambitions, and destroyed its 'container' so that it could be free to wreak havoc upon the land.

However, before his untimley death, he had written a manuscript containing all his years of research. Years later the manuscript was discovered by a young elf named Naaruil, a descendant of Kor-Tia. Intrigued by the spells contained within the manuscript, Naaruil wondered what else one could do with the powers granted to the elf race. But unlike Kor-Tia, Naaruil's research focused on healing and medicne to improve lives. He also wrote a manuscript of his research.

One fateful day war broke out in the eastern lands between elf and ogre. The ogre's wanted the to expand their own territory and sought to gain power over the east, and the only reason they were pushed back was because the dwarves and gnomes, who had previously no land to call their own, joined forces with the elves to fight a common enemy. But in the middle of the war, Naaruil's home was invaded, he was slaughtered and both manuscripts were stolen and seperated. Kor-Tia's manuscript ended up in the hands of Lord Akashii, Ogre Lord of the South, who used the manuscript to try to gain the upper hand in battle.

Eventually he was defeated, Kor-Tia's manuscript returned to the elves, and peace was restored to the land. And as thanks to the brave gnomes and dwarves who fought side by side with the elves, the eastern lands were divided equally among the three. There were a great many debates as to what should be done with Kor-Tia's manuscript, some saying the book should be burned and forgotten, and some said that it was a divine gift that they could use against their enemies. In the end the manuscript was stolen, no one ever discovered who the theif truly was, and various copies of the manuscript distributed amongst different elven tribes.

It was then that High Lord Oberon intervened and, considering the fact that very dark magic lay within the manuscripts pages, sealed the elves magic away, but not completley. Had he done so the elven race would have turned mortal, and High King Oberon being as generous and kind as he is, would not allow it. A few elves found that with much effort they could regain a portion of their magical ability, and that is the lineage from which Lady Melantha is born from."

Sarah sat in silence, trying to put her thoughts in order.

"So what you're saying is that Melantha has magical abilities?"

"Something like that. You see the way the elves magic manifested differed from elf to elf, some elves magic lay in potion making, others in spells and incantations, and on and on. Her magic lies in potions and different concoctions, though the types of potions is unknown."

"I see. ...I hate to be nosey, but what exactley is she doing here?" Sarah blurted out, unable to contain her curiousity.

Jareth grimaced. "For some unfathomable reason she seems to have taken quite an interest in me in the past four hundred and fifty some odd years, when many years earlier she would barley spare me a glance in passing. I fear I shall never understand the mind of a woman" he joked lightly.

Sarah smiled over at him but it didn't reach her eyes, turning her head and raising her glass to her lips to take a long sip of her drink she pondered. She had felt uneasy since Jareth had received the information about that person coming to visit in three days, Duane, if she remembered correctly. And the knot in the pit of her stomach had only tightened ever since that woman had set foot in the dining room. This woman, Melantha, was very bad news. _Very_ bad news.

The fact that she had a distinct hatred for humans was pretty obvious but Sarah got the feeling that the hatred was more so focused soley on her, but she couldn't understand the reason why she was being pinpointed when the woman had just met her. She shrugged. So Melantha hated her, so what? The feeling was quite mutual. Melantha radiated an evil aura and the memory of her icy cold eyes sent shivers racing up and down her spine, and Sarah wanted very little to do with this woman as possible.

_'So you're just going to let her dominate you into submission?!' _her mind queried.

_"Of course not! I'm not going to let that pompous princess boss me around, but I won't go out of my way to make waves, either. Enough has happened in my life as of late, and I would rather like the dust to settle before something else happens. If I must speak to her then I will do it politely, but should she push me and think I won't push right back, she's got one rude awakening coming to her.'_

"She usually only stays for two to four days" Jareth said lightly, bringing her attention back to him.

She realized that he must have noticed the rather sour expression on her face and was attempting to comfort and cheer her up, and this time her smile did reach her eyes.

He smoothly switched topics and they sat talking for a couple hours, both enjoying the other's company and the light conversations. But all good things must eventually come to an end, and before Sarah knew it she was having trouble stifling her yawns. Jareth collected her glass and stood, setting them on a side table and extending his arm to her that she took without any hesitation and allowed him to escort her to her bedroom.

"Do you have plans tomarrow, Sarah?" he asked as she stood in her doorway.

She nodded. "Yes. Tomarrow afternoon Hoggle is taking me to see Sir Didymus and Ludo"

"You know, I could have just summoned them to the castle" he said, grinning.

"I know, but to be honest, I was hoping to walk through the Labyrinth at a slower pace and actually have time to see it. Last time I just rushed through it, and I've always sort of regretted it."

He smiled. "I see. Well, perhaps the day after tomarrow I can be your escort and give you a private tour"

"I'd like that" she said shyly.

"Until then" he said, bowing before her and bringing up one hand and gently kissing the back of it. "Good night, Sarah"

"Good night, Jareth" she whispered, staring deep into his eyes for a moment before she could gather the strength to back away slowly and close the door.

* * *

The blush she fought so hard to suppress broke free of its bonds and spread across her cheeks and down to the tops of her breasts, and she was only too thankful that she was alone. He made her blush so often that she started to wonder if her cheeks would forever be stained pink. But what was even more startling was the way her body reacted to his presence, he could infuriate her one moment, and then make her stomach do weird little flippy things the next.

Another yawn broke free from her.

_'I think that's quite enough excitment for one day, don't you? I think it's time to curl up in that very inviting looking bed and have a well earned rest.'_

Sarah agreed whole heartedly, and she wandered over to the dresser to pick out something suitable to wear to bed. She was surprised to find quite a selection of modern night dresses and even some over sized t-shirts and shorts, but then again Jareth _did_ design this room for her and he more than likley knew that long nightgowns weren't something girls in the Aboveground usually wore to bed. She was glad he had taken even this into consideration, because quite frankly she hated longer nightgowns. She found them uncomfortable and restraining.

She ended up choosing a plain black silk nightdress with a slightly plunging neckline that cut off at her knee's and hung off of her shoulders on thin straps, stripping out of her dress and donning the surprisingly comfortable piece of clothing, she moved to the dresser and started to brush out her hair. She blushed slightly at the image of herself in the mirror in the revealing lingerie, but she couldn't stop herself from admiring how sexy she looked in it.

She smiled at herself, her spirits high, before moving to turn off the light . She paused just as she set her fingers on knob to the lamp, casting a sidelong glance at her door. She finally walked over to her door and locked it, images of Melantha's icy gaze floating in her mind's eye. She didn't trust that woman one bit, and her lurking about in the castle as she slept soundly gave her no measure of comfort.

_'No more depressing thoughts tonight, let's go to sleep with happy thoughts in mind, hmm? Like going to see Sir Didymus and Ludo tomarrow, and getting to explore the Labyrinth at a more leisurely pace.'_

She smiled and nodded to herself as she finally turned the knob of her lamp and plunged her bedroom in darkness, moving carefully to climb into the cool sheets of her bed. She heaved a content sigh and she snuggled deeper into the gelatinous mattress and succumbed to slumber, a smile on her lips.

A pair of mismatched eyes watched as she slipped into a blissful sleep, waiting until she was sleeping soundly before surrounding her bed in a light white light, a force field. He would sleep peacefully now knowing that nothing could harm her as she slept. He did not trust Melantha where Sarah was concerned, having caught glimpses of the glares full of contempt that she had sent Sarah's way more than once. He sensed danger looming in the distance and he vowed to protect Sarah from it all, no matter what the cost.

But she was safe for tonight and he could rest, he had a feeling that he would need all the energy that he could get ahold of in the days to come. First there was news of Duane's arrival and now Lady Melantha showed up, it all seemed too coincidental for his personal liking. If he survived the battle he sensed was on its way, he hoped that fate would finally be kinder to him and allow him some happiness and peace. But right now he had to prepare for what was to come, and to do that, he needed to sleep. Sleep soon claimed the Goblin King, and dreams of raven hair and green eyes followed close behind.

* * *

AN:

I must apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. I ended up catching some sort of virus and was pretty much bedridden for the past like week and a half, though I'm still partially recovering I was able to spit out this chapter finally. It took me a while, but it's finally done. I hope it was worth the wait. We have another original character that seems to be up to no good, will the fates ever let Jareth and Sarah have a moments peace? Sir Didymus and Ludo finally make their appearence in the next chapter, yay! And possibly a couple other Labyrinth characters, I haven't quite decided yet. I wanted to have the wiseman somewhere in my story, but I'm not very good at speaking in riddles and such, so I'm not sure if he'll actually get to be in my story or not.

I have discovered that giving a whole entire backround to an original character is not so simple as I had previously thought -_- Especially if they're evil! There's motive to consider and if they had a traumatic past or not, how they speak, how they look, how they think. Which was something else I hadn't considered. To make an evil character, I had to think like an evil character. Which is hard for me. The most evil thing I have ever done was write "haha, you're screwed now!" on an empty toilet paper roll and stick it back in the dispenser!(hehe, so priceless XD) I was quite surprised when I found I had to do sooooo much work for just one character. But hopefully the characters turned out well.

By the way, I have no idea when my next chapter will be out. Usually I have pre-thought plans for my next chapter while writing one, but this time, my brain being all foggy with sickness, didn't generate any such things. So I'll really have to sit down and plot the next chapter. Hopefully it won't take me too long to put things together and update. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter though.

Peace and love,

KawaiiScorpio


	10. Chapter 10

She was running. She couldn't remember why she was running or what it was that she was running from, she just knew that she had to keep away from whatever was chasing after her. It seemed like she was running through a forest or jungle but it was so dark and she was running so fast that her surroundings were nearly a blur, and she thought it a miracle that she hadn't tripped over a rock or portruding root. She heard a defeaning screech from somewhere behind her, some terrible noise that made her think of a wailing banshee, and she begged her legs not to give out on her as she tried to pick up the pace.

She weaved around the many tree's that surrounded her, not really knowing nor caring where it was that she was running to, as long as she could get away. Another horrible scream. Tears started to flow freely down her face as she ran, making her shiver as the wind brushed her cheeks and turned her tears into ice. Who was chasing her? Why were they chasing her? What did they want from her?

She hopped over a fallen tree trunk that tried to bar her path and continued her run, trying to blink her tears away as they were obscuring her vision. Because of this, she missed a tiny rock covered in moss and made the fatal error of stepping on it, the slimy clump of plantlife making her slip and sending her to the ground with a grunt.

She coughed and tried to regain some of the air that had been knocked from her lungs and shook the cobwebs from her mind, another chilling howl pierced the air, and she attempted to scramble to her feet. A sharp pain from her right ankle, however, made this action impossible. She looked down at her ankle and even in the darkness she could make out the swollen ankle, an angry red. She had sprained her ankle. The weight of the knowledge nearly smothered her. How was she to get away now? She could not even put pressure on her ankle, nevermind continue her run.

She was beyond terrified now, her capture was imminent. Whatever it was that hunted her was closing in and she had no way to escape it now, and the realization made her blood turn to ice. She had no doubt that when she was caught, whoever it was chasing her, was going to do very nasty things to her.

_'Hide! HIDE! Hide yourself! It's your only hope!' _her mind shouted at her.

She whipped her head around frantically, trying to find something that would cover her body and keep her from the hands of her hunter. Another blood curdling cry tore through the air and she desperatley tried to see through the dark veil that surrounded her, praying that she could find something to conceal herself with before it was too late.

Then, like a divine miracle, a light shone from high in the sky. The moon, she realized, which had been hidden behind a curtain of clouds. The silver light chased away most of the blackness that surrounded her and she could finally make out various shapes and sizes of her surroundings, though her heart sank when she realized that the tree's that surrounded her were too thin to hide behind and there were no boulders to hide behind either.

The moonlight, seemingly having a mind of its own, acted like a spotlight and shone a brilliant beam of light to the left of her. There was a large tree on the side of a bank, she ran over to inspect the spot and could barley hold back the tears of joy. There was a large hollow spot that the roots had created as they spanned out, searching for moisture, and it looked barley large enough for her to squeeze into. She didn't hesitate. Hobbling over and sliding down the bank, she crammed her body into the cramped space and waited for the inevitable approach of her hunter, and she didn't have to wait long.

Minutes after she had hidden herself she heard leaves and twigs breaking under someone's heels, and heard the same someone's laboured breathing. She stilled. The tiniest movement could attract the creature to her whereabouts. It did not move for a few minutes, no doubt searching the area with its eyes, but then suddenly she heard a distinct sniffing noise that made her mouth run dry with fear. It was sniffing the area for her scent. While she herself may be hidden, she could not hide her smell, and after that long and hard run she had she was drenched in her own sweat. She shivered unintentionally, images of what would be done to her should she be discovered running through her mind.

Footsteps again, and to add to her horror, they were getting closer. She covered her mouth with a hand, unable to stop a few stray whimpers from passing her lips, watching as a shadow appeared infront of the opening of the tree. The shadow looked like the figure of a man, and yet for some strange reason, Sarah knew that this was no man. She could see no disfigurations on the shadow that would indicate that it was a demon or a troll or some other foul creature, but the lesson she had learned so long ago rung loud and clear in her mind.

_'Don't take anything for granted, Sarah'_

She heard the creature sniffing again and could see the shadow getting smaller, which meant it was getting closer to her, and she curled herself into a tight little ball.

_'Please don't find me. Please leave me alone. Please go away! Please, dear God, please don't let it find me!'_

She heard the creature sniffing around the tree she was huddled in and she squeezed her eyes shut, praying that she wouldn't be discovered. The creature continued to sniff and snort for a minute, and Sarah thought she was going to have a heart attack right there and then, but then she realized that it was silent. Eerily silent.

She listened intently for what seemed like hours but heard nothing. Not any retreating footsteps, not any birds, no insects chirping, not even the wind dared to make a noise. Just silence all around her. She uncovered her mouth and used both hands to push herself to the balls of her feet, mindful of her right ankle, daring to poke her head out of the tree. She was consumed with curiousity. Why was everything so silent all of the sudden? Did the creature leave? Was she safe? She had to know.

Slowly she inched her head out of the safety of her hiding place, her eyes darting madly to search every inch of her surroundings as she did so, checking for any signs of movement. But there was none. Hope swelled in her breast, her prayers had been answered. The creature, whatever it was, had vanished. She was safe. But she still couldn't help but wonder why it was chasing her in the first place, or what it had wanted from her.

_'Does it matter now? It's gone, your safe, let's just get out of here before it decides to reappear and finish what it started!'_ her mind snapped at her.

She shivered. Her mind really had a point, she did _**NOT**_want to be around if the creature decided it wanted to come back. With that in mind she looked behind her to make sure that she had a solid piece of wood to push off against to give herself momentum, and when she swiveled her head back to its normal position, two red glowing eyes were staring back at her.

Startled, she lost her balance and fell backwards, the creature closing in on her. The voice that she thought she had lost from fear returned to her, and a terrified scream ripped from her throat just before the creature opened it's jaws to reveal four white fangs glistening with saliva, and lunged towards her.

Sarah bolted upright in her bed, one hand flying to her chest and the other one wiping the cold sweat from her brow. Even though she was covered in sweat she shivered, those red eyes blazing furiously in her minds eye, and she fought to catch her breath. A dream. It was just a dream. It wasn't real. But even so, it had seemed very real. Ten minutes later found Sarah still trying to calm herself. She couldn't help but replay the events of the dream in her mind, being chased, hurting her ankle, the moonlight helping her to locate a hiding spot, the feeling of safety, and then those deep crimson eyes.

She shivered again. Those eyes disturbed her for some reason. Red, bloodthirsty, violent eyes. Somewhere deep inside of her she felt that her dream was a warning, a warning of something very bad to come. She had no idea why she knew this was a warning, she just knew that she did. She heaved a heavy sigh, suddenly missing the sense of normalcy she had known in the aboveground. Where dreams were just that, dreams. Where they did not signify anything important and as soon as you woke up, they were over, and you moved along with your day never giving them another thought. Just a dream. Nothing more, nothing less.

_'Well, this is the normal now. You're just going to have to get used to it. It will take a bit of time, but you'll adjust' _her mind offered gently.

She sighed again and flopped back down in her bed. She felt more tired now than she had when she initially went to bed, which was crazy because she hadn't woken up even once during the night.

A knock at the door jolted Sarah and she caught the yelp of surprise that attempted to flee from her throat, managing a shaky 'come in' instead.

"Good morning, Sarah" Ritsa's cheery voice sang as she entered the bedroom, a tray in her hand and bright smile on her face. "Did you sleep well?"

Sarah forced a smile. "Yes, thank you." she lied.

If Ritsa suspected her of lieing, she gave no indication that she did, walking over to the side of the bed and placing the tray on her lap. She pulled the top of with a flourish and kept her smile in place as she presented Sarah with her breakfast.

"The cooks didn't know what you preferred for breakfast so they thought that hot cereal with cream and a few mixed berries would be the best bet, but they would like it very much if you we could provide them some information on your likes and dislikes of food and drink"

"Oh!" she said, pleasantly surprised. "Thank you. By the way, do you know the time?"

Ritsa shifted her body to look out the balcony doors, judging the suns position, and then turned back to Sarah and nodded. "It is approximately seven thirty in the morning."

Sarah had to stifle a yawn. She was usually awake around seven in the morning to get ready for her job at the school, and yet even though she had slept in by thirty minutes, she felt like another couple hours of sleep sounded like a great idea. Perhaps it was just the stress of the past few days finally getting to her, and she absentmindedly nodded to herself. That must be it.

She sniffed the air lightly as the delicious scent of the piping hot cereal floated to her nose, and she smiled as the scent brought back many memories of her sitting at the kitchen table, eating hot cereal with Toby, Irene and her father before she left for school. She dipped her spoon into the bowl and gingerly blew at the contents before sticking it in her mouth, eyes closing in pleasure as the delicious taste overcame her, the heat from the cereal seeping into her body and warming her from the inside out. The cream gave the cereal a richness that delighted Sarah's tastebuds, and the berries gave a fresh and sweet taste that complimented the cereal very nicely.

"Oh my God, this is so good. Reminds me of when I was younger, I used to hate this but my step-mother made me eat it at least three times a week, and she kept telling me that it was good for me and would help me to grow strong. I never liked it until after I came back from here, that was when everything changed in my life for me. Two weeks after I came back, very early in the morning,she sat the bowl infront of me with cream mixed in and black berries on top, and I have loved it ever since. She ate with me that morning, just the two of us, and really connected for the first time"

Ritsa smiled sadly at her. "You miss them."

Sarah nodded. "I do. When I left, my father was near death and my step-mother was a wreck. Toby was scared and confused. They all must be very worried about me, having dissapeared like that, I'm sure they think I'm dead." She looked at her cereal for a moment before smiling up at Ritsa, who was taken a bit by surprise by the change of her attitude.

"But Lady Titania has assured me that they are all well, so as long as I know that, I am able to cope better with being seperated from them."

"You are very brave. I wish I had your courage, Sarah."

"And I wish I had as much courage as you think I have, Ritsa" she giggled. "Most of the time it's just me acting brave or being stubborn, I refuse to act weak and let people take advantage of me, I'm not as brave as you think I might be"

Ritsa smiled, closed her eyes and shook her head. "I disagree. I think it takes alot of courage to face the challenges you have faced and to keep holding your head high, I think most people in your situation would have broken by now. The fact that you keep on walking ahead and facing life is what I think makes you courageous, Sarah."

Sarah blinked. She hadn't really thought of it like that before, but now that Ritsa had mentioned it she had to agree. She was momentarily speechless, but recovered quickly and smiled genuniley at the elven woman.

"Thank you, Ritsa. That means alot to me, I feel much better now"

Ritsa beamed at her. "It is my pleasure, Sarah. Now eat up before your breakfast gets cold."

Sarah laughed before scooping up some of her cereal and eating it, relishing in the warmth that it spread through her body and feeling more upbeat than she had when she woke up this morning.

Thirty minutes later found Sarah walking the long hallways with Ritsa, a picnic basket stuffed with goodies held infront of her with both hands, and dressed in a light white strapless gown that was held securley to her chest by a type of elastic material and cut off off at her knee's and a pair of sandals that greatly resembled a pair that she had ogled shamelessly in the mall once. They were an adorably sweet light blue wedged 3 1/2 raffia* covered heel sandal with an ankle strap, and Sarah loved them to pieces. She had been reminded once more that this room had been furinshed specially for her by Jareth, and his acute memory and perception of her wants had impressed her. She hadn't said anything to any of her friends or family about her crush on the pair of sandal's, determined to put enough money away to buy the (ridiculously priced) pair of shoes for herself.

But here she was, strutting the halls of a great castle in the shoes of her dreams, provided for her by the man she thought she'd never see again and had once thought of as her enemy. Oh, how lady fate had thrown her for a loop. But as she walked she couldn't help the smile that grew on her lips, she was starting to really enjoy herself. Her and Jareth were on even ground, she was going to see Hoggle and her other friends, she'd been making other friends since her arrival in the Underground, the sun was shining, she had sexy shoes on her feet. Oh yes, she was definatley starting to enjoy her time here.

Ritsa chatted happily with her while they walked and she was only too happy to return the cheerful smiles sent her way, and before she knew it, they were descending the staircase that led to entrance of the castle where Hoggle was patiently waiting for them.

"Mornin' little lady" Hoggle greeted.

"Good morning, Hoggle" Sarah greeted cheerfully, full of excitment at the prospect of reuniting with her other two friends of the Underground.

"Are ya ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's go"

Sarah turned her head and smiled at Ritsa. "Thanks for walking with me, Ritsa. I should be back in time for dinner, afterall, I have the Labyrinth's greatest tour guide with me"

She giggled when Hoggle's cheeks turned pink and he turned away to mutter something under his breath.

"I will have your evening clothes ready for you upon your return, Sarah. I will see you then." she bowed, turning on her heel and leaving the way she came.

Sarah smiled at Ritsa's retreating form for a moment before turning her attention back to Hoggle, biting back a snicker at the tinge of pink still very present on his weathered cheeks.

"Shall we?" she asked as she walked towards him, a happy smile gracing her features.

Hoggle nodded. "Yah, let's be off."

And so they began to walk. Out the giant doors of the goblin city, past the mountains of trash, and into a forest. Sarah was a bit disappointed that she would not have to go very deep into the Labyrinth before she came upon the bog of eternal stench, she was eager to wander through the maze once more and find the beauty she was sure was hidden within it. But she shrugged it off after a few minutes. She was going to spend the rest of her life here, so there was sure to be at the very least a single opportunity for her to run the Labyrinth at a steady pace.

For the meantime, she was happy to be reunited with her three friends once more, and to get out of the castle and into some fresh air. The early morning air of the Goblin Kingdom was fresh and sweet and it looked as though it was going to be a fairly warm and sunny day, and she found that was was quite content and pretty happy.

Her and Hoggle walked the short trip mostly in a content silence, once in a while Sarah asking him a question and him giving a short and to the point answer. She spent the rest of the walk admiring the different scenery they came across as they trekked on, barley paying attention to anything infront of her, and therefore oblivious to the object that suddenly appeared in her path.

Had she not seen the bit of white in her peripheral vision, she would have stumbled right into it, but luckily she narrowley avoided her collision course. Blinking, she followed the lines of white tucked underneath a blanket of blackess up past a golden crest hanging on a chain, a regal chin, followed by a pair of lips quirked in a familiar grin, and then finally a pair of mismatched eyes that stared back at her.

"Good morning, Sarah. How lovely you look today." Jareth greeted.

A bit too close for her personal comfort, Sarah backed up a step and politley returned the greeting.

He was dressed in his white poet's shirt, only the ruffles visible under his black jacket, and a pair of fitted blue breeches, and of course, his black riding boots and black gloves. She had often wondered just what his hands looked like, never having seen them herself, she wondered if they were horribly disfigured or something, and that was why he had to hide them constantly.

"And where are you off to this fine morning, may I inquire?" he asked smoothly.

"None of yer buis..."

"To the bog of eternal stench" Sarah quickly cut Hoggle off, attempting to keep the mood pleasant.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "The bog? And why would you wish to go there? I can think of many other places in my labyrinth that would be more pleasurable, both to sight and smell."

She nodded and smiled. "That may be true, but the bog is where Sir Didymus and Ludo take up their residence. We are on our way to visit them since I have not seen them in such a long time, but perhaps when you are less engaged with your work you can show me these other places that you speak of. To be quite honest, I am looking forward to running the Labyrinth again, I would very much like the chance to take my time in walking through it again."

He supressed a smirk and instead tried to appear rather surprised. "Oh really?"

She nodded again. "Yes."

"Well then, perhaps in the next couple days I will make the time available to give you a grand tour of my labyrinth myself" he grinned.

"I would very much appreciate that, Jareth" she replied seriously.

He nodded and bowed a bit at the waist. "Then it is a date" he winked.

She blushed a little but managed a small smile. "A date it is"

She heard Hoggle mutter something behind her that sounded suspiciously like 'damn rat' and 'stupid girl', but she couldn't be sure, so she chose to ignore it.

"Well then," Jareth said, bringing Sarah's attention back to him, "I shall leave you two to your little reunion, and will return for you in the evening."

"Don't trust me to bring her back or somethin'?" Hoggle asked from behind Sarah, a bold move for the self-proclaimed coward.

Jareth grinned as he looked to the little dwarf. "On the contrary, I merely wish to escort the lady to her room before dinner as I so rarley have such a fetching guest within my halls. Besides, it _is_ my right as king to do whatever I so please, Hedgehog"

"How many times do I gotta tell ya it's Hoggle! HOG-GLE! It ain't that hard!" the dwarf fumed angirly.

Jareth chuckled lightly but otherwise ignored Hoggle, who started to vibrate with fury and glared icy daggers in his direction.

"Until later this evening, precious" he said, reaching and clasping one of her hands in his, kissing the back of it delicatley and then vanished.

She smiled at the spot where Jareth had been standing only a few seconds ago before turning to face Hoggle, eager to get on with their walk and greet her too sorley missed friends, only to find Hoggle with his head down and shoulder's shaking.

"Hoggle? Are you alright?" she asked, kneeling down so that she would be eye to eye with him.

She was unprepared when he raised his head and growled deep in his throat, his face beet red and his eyes narrowed into tiny slits.

"Hoggle...?"

"That...That...That no good, rotten, nasty JERK!" he bellowed. "He knows my name is Hoggle! On purpose he says my name wrong, he does! And he does it just to get under my skin!"

Sarah smiled. "So why is it that you always rise to the occassion?"

He stopped his ranting and stared at her, his face slowly turning back to its normal shade of tan, and cocked his head to the side.

"Eh? Whattya mean?"

"What I mean is that you know very well that he does it to irritate you, and it works without fail every time. But if you know that he does it for the sole purpose of getting a rise out of you, why would you keep responding the very way he wants you to? Doesn't it make more sense to either ignore it, or turn the tables on him?"

"...Turn the tables?" he asked, still a bit confused.

"Yes. Since he seems to have such fun mis-pronouncing your name, then perhaps you should start returning the favour. Like, for example, Jarub, or Garret, or Jareet, or something like that. You see?"

It took a minute for the information to sink into Hoggle's brain, and when it did, he broke out into one of the biggest smiles she had ever seen.

"Yea, you're right! Let's see how well he likes it! Thanks, Sarah!"

Her little seed of mischief planted, Sarah smiled and nodded at him as she stood back up. "Great. Now, let's keep going. The bog isn't that far from here, I keep getting small whiffs of it every now and again"

"Ya think we could convince them to at least eat some place else? I don't think I'll be able to keep any food down in my gut while I have ta smell that rotten stench!" Hoggle complained.

"I hope so, because I don't think I could eat near that place either"

Didymus let out a long sigh of boredom. He knew today, just like every other day, the chances of someone wanting to cross over his bridge was slim at best. There had been a few since the he and Ludo had repaird the collapsed bridge a few years ago, but they hadn't been able to get past the bridge. Either they claimed that the stench was too horrible for them, which he begged to differ, or they failed to ask his permission to cross and in the end had just given up.

He glanced over to his brother who was seeming to have a jolly conversation with a few boulders that spotted the landscape, grunting every so often and howling with merry laughter, and he heaved another sigh. He wished that he was having as much fun as his furry sibling, and found his mind wandering back to the day that the bridge had collapsed. The day a fair maiden had asked his permission to cross the bridge over the murky waters of the bog, and went on to challenge his mighty king.

He remembered how he had left his post to accompany yon fair maiden, protecting her from the perils of the Goblin City, and fighting valiantly along side her, Ludo and Hoggle. A journey that he, a loyal knight, had yearned for and would do again in a heartbeat. But alas, young maiden's in need of assisstance in battle were few and far between, and he had not been engaged in battle ever since that fateful days he was doomed to wait for the next runner of the labyrinth to try to bypass him or simply pass out from holding their breath.

Occasionally his comrade Hoggle would come to the bog to visit him and Ludo, but with Hoggle having his own set of chores that constantly needed tending, the visits were quite irregular and not too frequent. Didymus often envied him for the fact that there was always something that needed to be flowers and hedges and various plants of the labyrinth needed to be watered and seen to, the fairies had to be stunned, captured and sent back to Avalon. Hoggle was almost always running around doing some chore or another. And what did he have to do? Sit around and wait for a potential runner to actually make it to this point only to have the runner fail, and then he had to wait once more for yet another runner to appear.

Not that he had a grudge against his good king for the position he had seen fit to grant him, quite the contrary, he was extremley proud of his position to guard the bridge that hung precariously above the bog, one of the last final obstacles a runner had before coming to the giant gates that led to the goblin city, and then the castle itself. It had been fine when he initially started his new 'job', for there were runners galore to try to sneak past him, and a couple had even successfully gotten past him. Though, when that happened, he and his noble steed had tracked them down and forced them to retreat before they could reach the gates.

Yes, those were the good ol' days. But now with humans disbelief in all things magical, a runner in the labyrinth was quite a rarity indeed. And thus, he had become bored with his position. Ten minutes later his stomach decided that it was time for lunch, gurgling loudly to alert its host, who was only too happy to comply. Even if the task of preparing the meal would last only a short while, he was indeed happy to have at least something to keep himself occupied. One could only stand guard or practice fighting with a staff with no adversary so many times before one became tired of it.

He started for his little house in the base of an old tree, getting to the door, before his keen ears picked up the sound of rustling bushes. He turned, eyes and ears alert, watching for the slightest of movements.

"Oi! Didymus! Ludo!" a familiar voice rang through the clearing.

Ludo's ears perked up at the familiar voice, a happy grin lighting his face.

"Sir Hoggle, welcome. You are just in time, I was about to start preparing lunch. Woulds't thou like to join us?"

Hoggle smirked from his position across the bridge. "Don't bother, we've brought lunch"

Ludo had just finished clambering to his feet and stood to his full height, stretching his arched spine a bit, and spotted the top of a head hiding behind a large shrub. He was about to alert Hoggle to the danger of a stranger sneaking up behind him with a fierce howl, when a sudden breeze brought a familiar scent to his nostrils, making him pause.

"We?" Didymus questioned.

Hoggle nodded. "Aye."

Didymus was about to question his friend further when a figure walked calmy out to stand beside him clothed in a pure white gown, a stark contrast to the ebony waves of hair that cascaded around an angelic face and deep emerald eyes.

"My...lady...?" Didymus nearly whispered in awe.

Silence enveloped the group as they stared at each other, until Ludo could no longer contain himself.

"SAWAAH!" he bellowed happily.

Sarah handed over the basket to Hoggle before she rushed forward, over the gate, and into Ludo's fuzzy arms. "Oh Ludo, how I've missed you!" she cried, tears streaming down her face and onto Ludo's red fur. But he paid it no mind, gently hugging his long lost friend back. After a moment she released him and turned to Didymus, tears still sliding down both now red cheeks, and rushed to him as well, dropping down to her knee's to pull the tiny knight to her chest.

After a minute she pulled away, smiling brightly and still crying. "It's so great to see you once more, Sir Didymus. I have missed you so much."

Hoggle, by this time, had crossed the bridge and was standing off to the side, watching the interaction with a small smile.

"My lady" Didymus said again, "but...how could this...be? Thou had defeated my king and was sent back to the Aboveground. How is it that you have returned...?"

"It's a long story" Sarah said, wiping the tears away with one hand.

"Aye, one that should be told over lunch, far away from the bog" Hoggle said, holding out a hand to help Sarah to her feet, which she gratefully took as she stood and dusted the dirt off of her knee's and skirt.

Didymus was too caught up in a torrent of emotions and questions to do more than nod his furry head and follow behind Hoggle as he led the reunited group of friends away from the bog, back over the bridge, and into the forest. Fifteen minutes later he stopped.

"Aah, that's better. Can't smell that horrid stench from here. Here Sarah, lemme help you set up"

"Thank you, Hoggle" she said as she handed him a dark green blanket from the basket, watching as he shook it and eventually got it just the way he wanted it, and then set to work setting out the food she had brought.

Once all was set out and everyone, save for Ludo who prefered to sit on a pile of leaves, was sitting comfortable on the blanket, Sarah begun to tell her tale.

Didymus and Ludo listened intently as Sarah re-counted the years since she had last been in the Underground, ending with how she had came to be in Avalon.

"Thou has faced much in the past few days, my lady. You indeed possess the heart of a courageous knight!" Didymus declared.

"Ludo happy Sawah back" Ludo rumbled with a large toothy grin.

"Thank you, both of you. So much has happened latley, but I am so happy that I have all of you here with me." Sarah smiled fondly at her circle of friends, fighting the prickle of wet heat that she felt just behind her lashes.

Closing her eyes and heaving a cleansing breath, she opened her eyes and smiled brightly. "Well, now what shall we do? I have a bit of time to kill before Jareth arrives."

Hoggle shrugged his shoulders. "I don't care, whatever you wanna do Sarah is fine with me"

"Well, I had planned on gathering supplies for tea this evening, as we are starting to run low. My lady, wouds't thou honour this humble soldier by accompying me and my brother?" Didymus asked, coming to a stand as he spoke and bowing at the waist, flourishing his hat.

Sarah nodded. "I would be honored, Sir Didymus. Lead the way."

"Excellent! I shall fetch some basket's at once! Come, brother Ludo! Sir Hoggle! A most glorious task awaits us!"

Ludo nodded his giant furry head excitedly, while Hoggle just shook his, as both followed Didymus into his house to collect the basket's required.

Sarah smiled fondly at her friends, feeling more and more at peace with her surroundings and situation. She felt a pang of sadness as she remembered her family and wondered breifly how they were doing without her, if they would manage to move on and find happiness in life or if they would suffer the loss of their daughter and sister forever. She sorley wished that she could somehow send a message to them, to tell them that she was alive and alright, though she had no way to return to them, they might at least find peace with the knowledge that she was safe.

A weary sigh escaped her lips as she thought, closing her eyes as she remembered all the good and bad times she had with her family, barley noticing the sudden breeze that wrapped around her legs, fluttering her dress a bit, and cooling her skin.

"Well well, what a surprise. Are you lost, little girl?"

Startled out of her memories by the sudden voice, she couldn't contain her gasp of surprise as she whirled about to face a man standing a few yards from her, his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his the look of this man's skin, he hadn't been out in the sun for years, for it was a milky white. A stark contrast from his short ebony locks that rested just above his shoulders. His frame was lean but Sarah knew power when she saw it, or rather felt it, and this man could very well rival Jareth, though he hid it well. But what had Sarah gasping and trembling was the man's eyes. The iris was nearly red.

_Red, glowing, evil eyes._

Sarah's dream came back to her in an instant and she very nearly crumpled to the ground in a shaken heap, it was only through sheer force of will that she remained in an upright position. She didn't know who this man was, or what it was that he wanted, but she knew one thing for certain. He was powerful and nothing good could come from him being here, whether or not he had evil intentions were yet to be seen. She didn't like judging books by their cover because she knew damn well from first-hand experience that you were most likley wrong, but first impression's, on the other hand, were not. And her first impression told her that this man had terrible ambitions and a dark soul to match.

Icy claws of dread crawled up her spine and made her shudder involuntarily, but determined to make her own first impression on this man who seemed hell bent on trying to intimidate her, she raised herself to her full height, stuck out her chin and looked him straight in the eye.

"No, I am not lost. And just who might you be?"

His lips twitched as his smirk grew, but he uncrossed his arms and stared right straight back at her.

"Oh, where_ are_ my manners. I am Duane, an underling of his majesty, the troll king, Lord Malakili"

Sarah frowned. _'Duane...why does that name ring a bell...ah! That's right! This is the person who was coming to meet with Jareth. The man who murdered the ogre king. Jareth said that his powers had been sealed away by Oberon himself...so...what is this feeling then?'_

"What might _your _name be, little girl?"

Snapped out of her ponderings she forced herself not to glare at him, but instead kept a mask of indifference set firmly in place. Whatever this man was, whatever this vibe was that she was getting from him, she didn't like it, and didn't think that showing any particular emotion to him would be to her benefit.

"My name is Sarah Williams. It's a pleasure to meet you, Duane."

Duane's eyebrow quirked in response. "Oh? So it _is_ true, afterall. The young mortal woman who beat the Labyrinth has indeed returned, how curious, indeed."

Sarah's stomach clenched with anxiety at the calculated look he gave her, searching her up and down as if trying to memorize her body. Her insides quaked as he started to leisurley advance upon her, his lips twitching as she backed away.

" Now now, I will not harm you, little girl" he almost cooed in an amused voice.

But she was far from amused as she continued to back away from him, eyes locked onto his. Eyes so different from the mismatched ones of the Goblin King. At that moment, she realized that she would give anything if Jareth were here beside her, to save her from this other man.

_ 'Jareth! Help me! I'm scared!' _she mentally cried, still backing away from Duane as he advanced upon her.

Duane was slowly closing in on her when a sudden breeze swept past them, pushing him back and enveloping her in a feeling of safety.

"That is quite far enough, Duane"

Red eyes once focused on Sarah shifted to the area just behind her to lock with the mismatched eyes of the Goblin King, standing in all his mighty glory and glaring daggers at him.

"Ah, your majesty, what a pleasant surprise to find you out and about on this lovely day" Duane said politley, inclining his head.

Jareth stalked up to stand slightly infront of Sarah, sheilding her from Duane's wandering gaze. "Indeed. You are early. I had been informed that your arrival would take place in two days time." He rose a brow that clearly said that he was demanding an answer.

"Correct, your majesty. But fortunatley the task's I had been assigned to complete before my journey to your kingdom were completed early, and thus I was sent earlier as well. I do apologize for the confusion and any inconvenience it may have caused you."

Jareth's eyebrow ticked in agitation. "Quite" he managed to ground out between his clenched teeth.

"Sarah? What's goin' on? Are ya okay?"

"Hoggle!" Sarah gasped, turning to face him as he ambled up to her.

"Hoggle,"Jareth said, turning his head just a fraction to the side as he addressed the dwarf.

Hoggle was about to comment about the fact that he said his name right, for once, and ask just what it was that he was up to, but stopped short at the tension that charged the air.

"Aye?"

"Please escort Sarah back to the castle for me and stay with her while I tend to our guest, I will come find you when I am finished."

"We shall also escort yon fair maiden to his majesty's castle. Come, brother Ludo! Tally ho!" Sir Didymus cried, seemingly oblivious to the rest of the situation.

Hoggle gripped Sarah's hand and began to pull her back with him, but something nagged at Sarah's gut and she turned back.

"Jareth?" she questioned softly.

He inclined his head. "Go along now. I will be with you shortly, I promise."

Slightly mollified at his words, she nodded and allowed Hoggle to tug her away once more, following after Ludo and Didymus who led the way back to the castle.

"My my, such lovely subjects you do have here, Goblin King" Duane said, his smirk still firmly in place.

Jareth scowled at him. "And just what business do you have here in my kingdom, pray tell?"

"Hmm, don't you think that these matters would be better discussed in private, Goblin King?"

"As you wish, Duane. But I shall warn you here and now that you are a guest in my lands, and as such, will follow the rules of my kingdom. Any disregard for the rules will be punishable by me by any means that I see fit. Do I make myself clear on this?"

Duane's smirk widened. "Crystal. By your leave, your majesty."

Jareth leveled a threatening glare at him before whipping around and stalking off in the opposite direction. "Follow me." he ordered.

"Of course, your majesty" Duane said, trailing after Jareth, his smirk never once fading from his lips.

Air whooshed from Sarah's lungs as she exhaled, bending over as she tried to catch her breath. She had mostly kept a hurried pace back to the castle in her attempt to put as much distance as she could between Duane and herself, barley even casting a glance backwards to see if her friends were keeping up with her. The eyes from her dream haunted her and she wondered if this was what her dream had been trying to warn her about, about this man who was now a guest in Jareth's castle.

_'There's a very thin between coincidence and fate. Don't you think it's more than just coincidence that you dream of those frightening red eyes and then 'poof!', there they are for real?' _her mind queried.

She sighed but mentally nodded to herself. After everything that had happened in her life she just didn't believe in plain ol' coincidence's anymore, and disturbing as some of her dreams were they certainly could be helpful warnings for the future. God knew this wasn't the first time that her dreams were a warning for some catastrophe that was about to strike, and knowing was half the battle.

It was times like these were she wished she could just let loose with a good temper tantrum, to kick and scream bloody murder and smash something in order to alleviate her stress level. Things had been finally starting to seem brighter for her, the dust was just starting to settle a bit, and then it just all blew up in her face...again. Deep in her heart Sarah knew that this was the start to something terrible, she felt that horrible things were going to happen here. To her friends. To her. To Jareth. Everyone.

_'So, are you just going to sit there, then?' _ her mind asked her, almost taunting.

_'Huh?' _

_ 'I said, are you just going to sit there?'_

_ 'Well, what else am I supposed to do? I only have that fuzzy dream and my gut feelings to go on here! It's not like I have a detailed log of what's going to happen. What would you like me to do?' _she snapped.

_ 'Weren't they enough before? Weren't your gut feelings enough to guide you through the Labyrinth six years ago? Weren't your gut feelings enough to save your father, mother and Toby in the Aboveground? Have your dreams ever lied to you before?'_

_ 'Well...yes..they were. And no, they haven't. But I...'_

_ 'But what? You sound as if you're scared'_

_ 'I __**AM**__ scared! I'm terrified! I have no clue what I'm doing! I've lost my home and all my friends, my life! I've been tossed into a place that I barley understand with mostly strangers to rely upon for help! And as if that wasn't bad enough, now this guy shows up and I just somehow __know__ something bad is going to happen? Again! Why can't anything __good_ _happen to me for a change! It's not fair!'_

Sarah gasped at her slip of words, covering her mouth with her fingers lightly. Her eyes turned glassy as the weight of the situation sat heavily upon her shoulders and the stress slipped through to her heart, and try as she might she could not stop all of her tears from leaking out.

_'Oh dear Sarah, something good has happened to you. Something wonderful. You're just not looking at it right.'_

She sighed, irritable from stress. _'And what's that supposed to mean?'_

_ 'You may be back in the Underground against your will, but the place is not totally unfamiliar to you. And you have friends here, and many more waiting the chance to call themselves your friend. You can build yourself a new life here. You are not alone. What about Jareth? Does he not count? He is no longer your enemy, you know this. He is your friend, Sarah. Trust in him. He will not lead you astray. Nothing can truly harm you as long as you believe that it cannot.'_

She absorbed the words slowly, turning them inside out inside of her head, before finally straightening her spine and wiping the tears from her eyes.

_'You're right. You are absolutley right. I'm __not__ alone here. Why, I have Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus, Ritsa, Queen Tatiana and High King Oberon, and Jareth. I do trust them. All of them. With them beside me, I don't feel so scared anymore.'_

_ 'That's the spirit! Now, there is nothing to be done about that Duane character, for the time being. All you can do for now is watch him closely and try to figure out what he's after. If you can figure that out, perhaps you can get to it first and block his path forward.'_

She nodded to herself. That sounded like a reasonable and safe plan for now, but somehow she knew that action would be required sooner or later. It always was. She sighed a bit, but didn't feel as weighed down anymore. She actually felt like the old Sarah again, ready to kick some ass and thwart some evil.

_'But just remember, Sarah. Take care not to loose your heart again, for if you do, you will be easy prey to cowardice and evil.'_

Sarah nodded.

"Right then"

"...Uh, Sarah?" Hoggle asked uncertainly from behind her.

"Huh?"

"Are you sure you're okay? You were actin' kinda...off..back there.."

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks Hoggle. But listen, all of you listen to me."

Her friends stared at her, the air thick with anticipation and a bit of dread (on Hoggle's part)

"I have a feeling that the Underground is in for a rough ride very soon, and I think it has something to do with that Duane fellow back there."

"But, my lady, how does thou know these things?" Didymus questioned, his furry head cocked to the side.

"I just have a gut feeling about it, and I trust my instincts. And every instinct I have is screaming that that guy is bad news."

"Soo...what do you wanna do about it?" Hoggle asked.

Sarah shook her head. "Nothing, for now. I think we should just keep an eye on him and wait for him to make his move. I don't know what he's looking for here, but if we can find it before he does, then maybe we can stop whatever it is that he's trying to accomplish."

"Worry not, my lady," Didymus chimed valiantly, "for nothing he does will go unseen by my keen eyes. Nor the eyes of my brother. Isn't that right, sir Ludo?"

Ludo nodded his giant head. "Ludo watch bad man"

"Thank you"

"Why is it that everytime you set foot in the Underground, some major calamity always ends up comin' our way?" Hoggle grumped.

Sarah shrugged. "Maybe you were naughty in another life?" she grinned, and he sighed.

"Alright alright, I'll keep an eye on 'em for ya."

"Thanks, Hoggle" Sarah smiled.

"Yeah, well, I best get back to my chores. Gotta get 'em all done if'n I'm to look out for both rats running around in the castle"

Sarah rolled her eyes but chuckled, waving as Hoggle disappeared from sight.

"Alas, we must also be on our way, my lady." Didymus said, his head bowed.

"It's fine, Sir Didymus. Thank you for escorting me back to the castle, I'll come and visit you again soon."

"Think nothing of it, fair maiden. Until next we meet." He bowed low.

Sarah waited until her friends were out of sight before turning on her heel and walking up the stairs to the castle and through the open doors, making her way to the throne room to wait for Jareth's arrival. She needed every piece of information that she could get ahold of on Duane if she was to attempt to figure out what his plans might be.

"Well? Out with it. What is your business here?"

Jareth's tone was all business. He wanted to know what Duane was doing here so that he could finish his business, and give Jareth a reason to kick him out of his castle that much faster. His untimley arrival was enough of a nusiance as it was, but when he felt Sarah's distress and her distinct call for him, only to find out that Duane was the reason behind her distress. It took years of iron self control not to send Duane back to the troll king sealed in a wine bottle.

Duane bowed politley before Jareth. "My lord Malakili has sent me to your glorious kingdom in hopes that we may establish better diplomatic ties with you. My lord understands greatly the reasons for past greivances, but hopes that you may be able to put that aside in favour of becoming allies and strengthening the ties that seperate you"

Jareth sat down in the seat infront of his desk, leaning back slightly, steepling his fingers together and glancing warily at the other man that stood before him.

_'So, Lord Malakili wants to strengthen the ties between the goblin kingdom and the troll kingdom, does he? Hmm, this will take consideration on my part. Blast! Yet another thing added to the never ending list of things I must do'._

"I will consider Lord Malakili's offer. Return and tell your king that I will have an answer for him in seven days time"

Duane bowed again. "Forgive me, your majesty. But Lord Malakili has asked that I stay until given your answer so that I may provide him with your answer personally. It would seem that my lord does not want too many messenger's for this particular message, lest something be jumbled on the journey between kingdom's."

Jareth growled under his breath. If it weren't such a matter of great importance, he would have given the man a simple answer and had him thrown out of his castle. But an alliance with the troll king _could_ potentially benefit his own kingdom, but mainly only if war were to break out. Put quite simply, Lord Malakili was the brawn, and Jareth was the brains. Between the two of them they would have quite an advantage over their opponents, and it would be no easy feat to take them down.

However, the problem with trolls was that they sought out power and would do anything to get it, no matter what. It was no small leap of the imagination to think that the troll king would not betray Jareth if he thought that he was in his way, and that he would do whatever was necessary to eliminate him. Also, trolls had a rather nasty hatred when it came to humans, and even fae. Humans were potential food in their eyes, and the fae were nothing more than a tougher version of a human to them. Though many of the younger trolls had overcome the hatred there were still plenty older trolls that more than made up for the ones who did not, and Jareth did not particularly like the thought of any of them being near Sarah. And the final problem was that to refuse the troll king, who had reached out his hand in the supposed name of friendship, could result in a very offended troll king who would declare war on his lands.

He groaned in agitation when he realized that he would need to give this more than a few hours thought, rubbing at his temples as he felt a headache coming on. Why could there never be a simple solution to things?

"So be it" he grumbled,"you will stay in the guest cottage near the western gardens until I have decided what my answer will be."

"Very good, your majesty. I beg your leave, as I am certain you have many things to consider." Inclining his head, Duane stepped to the door and let himself out.

"Schwick!" Jareth barked.

A tiny goblin with green skin, two tiny horns on its head, and large yellow eyes appeared before him, bowing lowly.

"Yessir, yer majesty? What can Schwick do for ye?" it croaked.

"Keep an eye on Lord Duane throughout his visit in the labyrinth, I want a detailed report every night sent to me about his whereabouts. And Schwick, if he is to go anywhere near Lady Sarah, inform me immediatley."

The tiny goblin bared his pointy teeth in a smile. "Yessir, yer majesty. Schwick understands. Schwick will not let him out of Schwick's sight".

"Very good. Dismissed."

Schwick bowed again and disappeared, leaving Jareth to his rather jumbled thoughts. But a voice in his mind momentarily stilled him.

_"Jareth?" Sarah questioned softly._

_ He inclined his head. "Go along now. I will be with you shortly, I promise."_

He grinned. It wasn't very nice to go about breaking promises, afterall. Especially not to beautiful young women whom you have bound your heart and soul for eternity to. The troll king and that imbecile Duane could all wait, he had a very important promise to keep. And with that thought in mind and a wicked smile on his lips, a swirl of glitter consumed his body and disappeared, leaving only the echo of his throaty chuckle in his wake.

*Raffia : a fiber obtained from the leaves of the raffia palm, used for tying plants and other objects and for making mats, baskets, hats, and the like.

AN: I know alot of you must have thought that I had abandoned this story, or dropped off the face of the planet. But this is not the case. I have just been very busy and had lack of inspiration. I have not given up, but the words don't come as easily as they used to so the chapters take longer to write. I hope you will continue to stick with me through the rough patches while I attempt to finish this story. It's not finished for quite a bit yet. Originally, I had wanted about twenty to thirty chapters for the entire story, but as I have mentioned from the start, I began this story without much of a thought as to where it might end up. So it might be fifteen or fifty chapters long, for all I know at this point. But I do know that I still have a few tricks up my sleeve, even though they are kinda hidden and random :p Lol. I know that it wasn't very actiony or had no Jareth and Sarah fluff moments, but I am hoping to make up for that in the next chapter, one way or the other. Instead, I have introduced Duane. I tried to make him as politley arrogant and annoying as I possibly could. I'm going for a ' character you'll love to hate' kinda thing. I've got a basic plan for the next chapter, but they always seem to get revised along the way *rolls eyes* I will try to update as soon as I can. Thanks for reading =)

KawaiiScorpio 3


	11. Chapter 11

Sarah sat on the stone steps by the throne as she waited patiently for Jareth's arrival, one hand propped up on a leg and holding her chin, the other hand drumming restlessly where it rested on her upper thigh. The thought of leaving Jareth alone with that man with the creepy red eyes did not sit well with Sarah, even though her mind kept insisting that the notion was ridiculous and that Jareth was more than a match for that little runt.

But she still didn't like it. Not one bit. Even thinking of Duane made her skin break out in gooseflesh and she shivered, the feeling that he gave her was nothing short of evil. She was certain of it. But she had some snooping around to do before she could bring any of it to Jareth's attention, lest she give Jareth and his kingdom a very bad name. She sighed, that was the last thing she needed, to go back to being enemies with him over something so stupid. No, evidence first, accusastions later.

Suddenly, a thought struck her. How did she plan on gathering any information, exactley?

_'Shit!'_ she inwardly cursed, dropping her head from her hands to sit her forehead on her knee's.

She hadn't thought about how she was going to get the information, only that she needed to know what Duane was after in order to stop whatever he had planned, which would further prove that her instincts were correct and that she, by extension, was _not_ insane and that Duane was infact evil. Then he would be banished and Sarah could get back to trying to build a happy new life here in the Underground. But, who would she ask? She didn't want to go to Jareth until she had to, and he was the obvious first choice having battled Duane previously.

_'Alright then, so if not Jareth, who else would know about Duane? The troll king, but I can't go there either. Nothing spoils a reputation more than heaving false accusastions all about. So...oh! Titania! I bet she'd know! Or Lord Oberon. And, if they don't know, then I'm sure they could point me in the direction of someone who does! Yes! We have a plan! As soon as I get back to Avalon I will ask Titania if she knows anything.'_

Sarah smiled at having formed a more concrete plan to go on, and her shoulder's relaxed and released the tension that had been building there. There was no use worrying at the moment because there was little that she could do, for now. The most she could do was avoid Duane and try to keep an eye on him, and when she returned to Avalon she would dig a little deeper into the mysteries that seemed to surround him.

She sighed as she stood and straightened her spine, wincing as she felt and heard the multiple cracks, but smiled as the stiffness vanished. She idly wondered just how long she had been sitting there lost in her thoughts when a small burst of light seemingly appeared from nowhere in the middle of the throne room, and a small 'pop' was all that was heard as Jareth manifested in the light.

"Sarah? Are you alright?" he questioned upon spotting her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. A little unnerved, I suppose. But fine. ...Is he..gone?"

Jareth scowled a bit. "Unfortunatley, no. And may not be gone for several days. He brings me a message of peace and kinship with Lord Malakili and will not leave without an answer, which is no simple 'yes' or 'no' "

"You're thinking that if you refuse he'll start a war, right?"

He blinked at her.

"Well...yes, actually. Trolls are simple enough to offend, and a war with him is quite unfavourable. How did you know?"

Sarah's lips turned up in a small smile and shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't. It just seemed like a very troll kind of thing to do. At least, that's how they were in my books."

Jareth smirked. It was her love of fairytales that had opened her heart and mind to his realm and ultimatley led him to her, and it was also what had helped to guide her through his labyrinth. She understood, to a degree, his subjects whether she knew it or not. Her odd fascination with all things that did not exist in the aboveground had given her a crash course for the world that she would enter in adolescence, and perhaps without her books she would not even be here with him now.

The thought made his blood turn to ice in his veins. A life without this spirited, smart and beautiful woman by his side? That was no life he wished to live. She was his equal in every way, except for maybe her magical prowress.

"Indeed" he purred smoothly. "It will take a few days time for me to come up with an appropriate answer for our...guest." He spat the word.

"Well, as long as I don't have to be alone with him again, I guess it won't be so bad." she shivered, remembering those deep red eyes and vicious aura.

But if she wasn't alone with him she felt that she had nothing to fear, strength in numbers and all that. Besides, what fool would try to pick a fight in someone else's kingdom? Let alone the fact that he was here in Lord Malakili's stead and an uproar would royally screw over his chances for peace. So he wouldn't try anything, right?

"Do not fear, Sarah. If I can help it you will not see his presence for the remainder of his stay. I've eyes everywhere here, and they are fixed upon him until his departure." he assured her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Sarah looked up and smiled at him. "Thank you, Jareth" she said sincerley.

Time seemed to stop for the two of them as they gazed into each other's eyes. Her comforted by his power and gentle eyes. Him comforted by the ease of which she was able to be in his company and the trust he could sense from her towards him. It was small, but building.

"Greetings, Goblin King." a feminine voice said politley from the doorway to his chambers, effectivley breaking the magical and serene moment.

"Greetings, Mother. What brings you to the Goblin Kingdom?"

Titania swept her gaze from Jareth to Sarah and smiled. "I just wanted to see how Sarah was settling in, that is all. But I felt a rather interesting pair of aura's when I arrived in the Labyrinth, I assume you know of whom I speak of?"

"Ah yes, Lord Duane and Lady Melantha. Duane is here on behalf of Lord Malakili who wishes for our lands to join hands in the name of peace. Lady Melantha is here on a more...personal note."

Sarah was confused for a moment at the mention of the other name, but then she recalled the woman with the black hair,icy eyes and red dress. She barley stifled a moan. She had completley put her out of her mind after dinner that night, having wanted to focus on the better aspects of the Labyrinth and her current situation, not to mention her excitement at reuniting with her friends after so long, Melantha was the last thing on her mind. Until now. Damn it.

"I see. And judging by the fact that Duane remains here means that you have no simple answer for him?"

"I do not"

Titania nodded sympathetically. "A truce with Lord Malakili could be in your favour, my son. Brute strength he may have, but his wit is lacking. But then again, trolls were never very fond of fae or goblins, nor are they the most trustworthy allies."

"And therein lies the problem." Jareth sighed. "Risk war, or risk betrayal. Both have very unfavourable results for my kingdom."

"I understand. And might I say that it may be wise to send the Lady Melantha home? Given that you already have so much on your plate currently, you would be unable to give her the proper attention as would be required of a king to his guest. Perhaps she could come back at a later date when things have settled down?" Titania advised wisely, the merriment dancing in her eyes the only indication that she knew of Jareth's distaste for the woman and was offering him a polite excuse to get rid of her.

Jareth's lip curled into a smile. "Indeed. I thank you mother, I had been so consumed with other things",he glanced sideways towards Sarah and his smile broadened slightly, " that I have thought of little else. I shall find the Lady Melantha and request that she return at a later date."

Titania shook her head slightly. "It is no trouble, Goblin King. But I think that I shall take it upon myself to inform Lady Melantha about the latest turn of events myself, afterall, you are terribly busy."

Sarah grinned at Titania. This was a woman after her own heart and she found herself thinking that through the years ahead, the two of them would become very good friends.

"Sarah? Would you mind accompanying me? I wish to speak with you after I deliver the message to Lady Melantha."

Sarah sighed dramatically. "Another bomb to drop on me, have you? Very well, it would be my honour Queen Titania. But might we stop by Jareth's study on the way?"

Jareth and Titania arched their eyebrow's in confusion.

"Whatever for?" Jareth asked.

She calmly turned her head and quite sincerly said, "For that bottle of booze. I've a feeling that I'm going to need it."

Jareth's bark of laughter echoed through the halls of the castle, and Titania's soft musical laughter chased merrily after.

"I didn't take you as the drinking type, precious"

"Oh, I'm not. But I could easily become one with all the bombs that keep getting dropped on me. Sounds better than putting my head between my legs and kissing my ass goodbye" she shrugged.

He chuckled. "Life is full of surprises" he winked.

"Yes, well, I've had enough surprises to last me for quite a while. I think I'm due for a little rest and relaxation and dullness."

"All in due time dear, I'm sure. I believe the mortal phrase is 'It takes pressure to make a diamond'?"

Sarah smiled but shrugged playfully. "If you say so, your highness"

"Come. Let us leave the Goblin King to his duties, shall we? And I believe I can arrange for at least some tea while we chat"

"Tea sounds great" Sarah smiled, then turned to Jareth. "I guess I'll see you at dinner?"

He nodded. "Until then. Mother, you are most welcome to dine with us tonight if you wish."

"I think that I will take you up on the offer. It has been some time since I've had the pleasure of dining in the Goblin Kingdom. Thank you."

Titania bowed her head respectfully before beckoning to Sarah, and the two started their walk to the east wing of the castle, where Melantha always stayed during her stay's at the castle.

Jareth watched them go and then heaved a sigh once they were gone. He wondered breifly just what it was that his mother wanted to talk to Sarah about and hoped that it wouldn't be something that would shatter the new and very fragile trust she was beginning to have for him, but he couldn't think of anything that would cause such an event. As far as he knew he had all his cards on the table and explained the situation very clearly to Sarah, and his mind ran wild with the possibilities that his mother could be telling Sarah.

Another sigh. _'I guess I will find out during or after dinner just what it was that mother has told Sarah, I'm sure it will be brought to my attention sooner or later'._

But for now, there were other matters to attend to. Much thought was needed over whether to accept or decline Lord Malakili's offer, and there was still his kingdom to run as well.

_'I think Sarah had the right idea. I'm about ready for some rest, relaxation and dullness myself.'_

Titania and Sarah walked in a peaceful silence together to the east wing of the castle, where Melantha's room was located, both just content to keep the mood calm while it lasted. But too quickly, in Sarah's opinion, they reached Melantha's bedroom door and Titania knocked firmly on the wood.

A somewhat grumpy 'enter' met there ears and so they did. Sarah was sure that Titania had been grinning as she turned the knob to grant them access to the room, but when she blinked it was gone and her face was calm and neutral once more. She figured that she had just been seeing things and chose to follow her inside the room and to the bathroom, where they could hear a faint splashing noise.

Sarah blushed when she realized that Melantha was in the process of bathing, a maid standing nearby with a soapy sponge in her hands and looking at them rather curiously, but neither Titania nor Melantha seemed the least bit uncomfortable by the whole situation. She remembered the other day when Ritsa had commented on how she would help bathe her and dress her and so fourth, and figured that royal fae must be rather used to being seen au naturel. But even so it unnerved Sarah and she had to fight to compose herself and not look anywhere else awkwardly, as though she was the one who was totally exposed to any and all who cared to look.

"Oh, your highness Titania, what a lovely surprise to see you here" Melantha purred, crossing one sudsy leg over the other, completley at ease.

"Good afternoon Lady Melantha" she looked to the maid. "May you excuse us"

It wasn't a question, nor was it hostile, yet the maid bowed nervously and scuttled out of the room as if she had been scorned.

"Ah, I see Serena is with you as well." Melantha continued as she straightened her spine somewhat, her bare breasts jiggling in the water before her, most likley on purpose to flaunt her royal assests infront of her.

_'Tch, magical enhancements much?'_ Sarah growled to herself, but was able to keep the thought from traveling out through her mouth. Instead she decided to follow the queen's example. There was nothing to be gained by letting this rich bitch getting under her skin.

"It's Sarah" she corrected politley, raising her chin somewhat and glancing nonchalantly down at the naked woman.

Melantha shrugged. "Yes yes, of course. Of what do I owe the pleasure of your company, your majesty?"

_'Did...did she just snub me? Oh, just you wait, you royal pain in the ass! Karma! It __will__ get you sooner or later! And if I'm lucky, the gods will let me have a front row seat!'_

"I'm afraid I bring you bad news. The Goblin King has asked that I inform you that due to unforseen events as of late, that for your safety you are to return to your kingdom. He also sends his regrets that he has been a rather unpolite host, but I'm sure you understand his position as king to tend to his royal duties first."

Melantha's smirk vanished and Sarah was pretty sure that she was bordering on rage, but as she was in audience with the high queen, she masterfully contained it and only managed to look a bit shocked.

"I..see..." she paused for a moment to shoot a rather discreet glare in Sarah's direction before she turned her attention back to Titania. "And there is nothing I could do to convince his majesty otherwise? Perhaps I could be of some..."

"You can help by returning to your kingdom, Lady Melantha. My son has quite a bit on his plate as of late, and it wouldn't do to have loose ends running about his castle, now would it?" Titania's voice brooked no room for argument, and had made it quite clear that she was being politley kicked out.

Melantha's hands balled into fists under the surface of the water covered in sweet smelling bubbles, but her face remained polite and impassive.

"No, of course not your majesty. I will take my leave as soon as I have dressed. I thank you for delivering this message to me, and for your company. It is always a pleasure to see you, your majesty."

Titania nodded her head. "Safe travels back to your kingdom, dear." And with that, she turned and exited the room.

Sarah hesitated behind Titania, turning her head back to Melantha. If looks could kill Sarah was sure that she'd be a disfigured heap on the floor in a pool of her own blood, if the heated glare she was receiving was any indication. Usually Sarah would have given her own frosty glare, but this time she had a better idea. She smiled ever so sweetly at Melantha, wiggled her fingers in goodbye, and as she turned to leave she tossed her hair haughtily over her shoulder and strolled out of the room.

She rejoined Titania and toegether they resumed their walk, both hearing a crash from behind them but neither commenting on it. Sarah was inwardly crowing over the defeat of the wicked bitch of the east, when a sudden thought struck her.

"Uhm...your majesty?"

"Yes?"

"I don't mean to...offend you or insult you or anything like that, but...I think you may have left out a part of the message that you were supposed to give to Melantha."

Titania glanced at her. "Oh? And what part might that be?" she questioned, a smile tugging on the corners of her lips.

"Well, I just thought I heard you tell Jareth that you'd tell Melantha to come back at a later date when things have settled down."

The queen cocked her head to the side as if in thought, and then shook her head. "Hmm, I'm sorry, but I don't seem to recall that piece of the conversation, my dear. Perhaps the stress is affecting you worse than you thought."

Sarah blinked once, twice, and the full impact of what the queen had done hit her. She smiled broadly at the queen.

"Oh your majesty, I do believe that you and I are going to be _very_ good friends, indeed." she laughed.

_Back in Melantha's chambers._

"That no good peasant whore! I'll have her head mounted on the wall in the dining hall for this! She will regret ever having laid eyes upon me!" Melantha shreiked wildly, heaving a bottle across the room and into the wall where it shattered and dusted the floor in shards.

She dared only to break a few objects, lest Jareth find out and have her banned from his kingdom. But that did not stop her spiteful words from spewing out of her mouth in rapid succession. She was angry at the high queen for her message from Jareth, and angrier at the fact that her attempt to delay her removal was undermined by Titania's authority and ranking as the high queen.

However, she was livid with Sarah. That mortal wretch! Strutting about the castle as if she had any place in it but the servents quarters, tagging along side the high queen like a sidekick. Melantha had thoroughly enjoyed boasting her body to that scrawny slip of a girl, showing her exactley what it was that Jareth would desire in his bed and quite plainly what she lacked. But her efforts went unnoticed as the girl had seemed totally unaffected by the silent insult, and then she had the nerve to _smile_ before she sauntered out of the bathroom.

Fire and venom coursed through her veins at the thought of Sarah. Of Sarah with the high queen. Of Sarah in the Goblin Kingdom. Of Sarah with Jareth.

Her anger peaked and she grabbed a chair and sent it flying into the vanity mirror. Glass shards and splinters of wood littered the carpet and she stood a few feet away, bent over and panting. Her maid shivered violently in the corner, hoping that she would go unnoticed lest Melantha's wrath be turned upon her. She was, afterall, famous for her temper and had no qualms about injuring the servents and threatening them should news of it ever reach the Goblin Kings ears.

But Melantha was exhausted from her tantrum and was now trying to concoct a scheme with which to eliminate Sarah and ensure her spot in Jareth's bed. She sat in another chair, holding her robe closed, thinking. Perhaps a little charm, a little seduction, a little poison...

Her smile turned wicked. Yes. A poison could work rather nicely. A colorless, odourless, no way to detect it, poison slipped into Sarah's drink. And then another poison for Jareth, as well. Not a lethal poison, of course. But a poison in the sense that before he knew what was happening he was bound to her, and then there would be nothing that anyone could do about it. There was no going back once fae were bonded.

Now she just had to think of how to get them to ingest said poison and she would be...

"Well, what have we here? A rare jewel amongst the rubble of the Goblin Kingdom?" a voice spoke from behind her.

She started and whipped around. "Who are you? What business do you have lurking about my chambers? Speak!"

"Ah, forgive me, dear lady. I am Duane. I could not help but sense your intentions towards the female mortal known as Sarah, I must admit I was rather drawn to it"

Melantha eyed the newcomer and then it clicked into place. "You are the one who killed Lord Geruxs all those years ago, are you not?"

"I am indeed. And you are the one who seeks power not unlike High Queen Titania, and would take her place if given the opportunity, are you not?"

Melantha narrowed her eyes. "Just what is it that you think you know about me?"

"I know much about you, Lady Melantha. I know much because I can feel it in your heart. Your very soul cries for power and the blood of any who stand in your way. I know because my soul sings the same tune. Can you not sense it?"

She could, she realized. She could feel the power vibrate from him and could nearly hear the anguished cry of his soul, thirsting for power and blood.

But she hesitated. "And this should mean what to me, exactley?"

Duane smiled and began to advance upon her, like a spider to a fly caught in its sticky web. "We could help each other, you and I. We both desire power, both desire blood, but neither of us can do it alone. I can provide you a safe haven in which to brew your lethal poisons, and means with which to put them to use. You can provide me with information and distraction. It is a win-win scenario for us both."

Somewhere deep in her black heart, Melantha felt that this was someone that she should not get involved with, someone that could easily slaughter her once her usefulness was fulfilled. But she was blinded by the need for power, for vengeance, so much so that she would use any means available to her to fulfill them. Even if it meant teaming up with this man to do it.

"I agree to a partnership with you, Sir Duane."

He smirked. "Excellent, my dear. Shall we retire to my quarters to...commemorate the bond" he quirked an eyebrow and raked his eyes over her body, " and to discuss the fine details of the pact, of course."

Melantha's lips curved upright into a smile of her own. He was not an ugly man by any means, and he would do for now until she had Jareth. Why not? Besides, she was tiring quite quickly of the male fae in her kingdom. A change in pace was in due order, and this fine specimen looked as if he could go for quite some time.

Without modesty she let her robe fall open and shrugged out of it easily, rubbing her hands up and down her abdomen and over her breasts as she walked towards him. "I do believe that would be acceptable"

"Indeed, but before that..." he turned his eyes, which were now glowing red, towards the shivering maid in the corner. "Can't have any witness's, now can we?"

The maid dropped to the floor and began to bawl and plead with Duane to spare her life, that she vowed to tell not a soul, but her plea's fell on deaf ears. It took mere seconds for him to extend his hand toward her and she was consumed by flames, and he and Melantha watched unaffected as she crumpled to the floor and screamed and cried in agony until she was barley anything more than a pile of ash and some bones.

Duane then roughly grabbed Melantha by the arms and pulled her tight to him, yanked her head back by her hair, and voilently kissed her. A swirl of darkness rose from beneath them and swallowed the pair up, along with the black ash that had been the maid. Before he vanished completley though, he set the room to right, leaving no track of foul play behind.

_With Queen Titania and Sarah._

Sarah sipped her tea and sighed pleasantly. Though she had her doubts about venturing outside again, especially after her little introduction to Duane earlier, but with Titania with her she felt quite at ease. Her white gown fluttered gently in the warm breeze of the underground, the sun was warm on her face, and Melantha was leaving the castle beyond the goblin city.

Titania had taken Sarah to a section of the Labyrinth that she was rather glad she hadn't stumbled upon during her rush through it before, or else she might have ended up loosing entirley. It reminded her of the place where she and Hoggle had met the wise man, except here the stone blocks circled into a dead end and were covered in beautiful vines with flowers, and in the middle of the clearing it created was a small pond with a crystal fountain in the figure of a dragon with sparkling water flowing endlessly out of its mouth and into the pond. A small table sat adjacent of the pond with two convenient chairs available.

"Wow. It's amazing" Sarah breathed as she took in the sight before her.

"It is rather lovely, isn't it? Come Sarah, let us sit and have a cup of tea before we start our discussion, shall we? I believe we both could use a moment of peace after having the distinct...pleasure..."she grimaced, "of Lady Melantha's company earlier."

Sarah chuckled and joined the queen at the table, where she summoned a rather cute goblin to serve them.

_'A cute goblin, who would have guessed such a thing existed? Even in the Underground'_

She chuckled to herself and drank deeply, and felt her nerves loosen and her anxiety vanish a few moments later.

Ten minutes of complete tranquility passed, with which Sarah was blissfully admiring the landscape, when Titania started to speak.

"So Sarah, how has your stay been thus far in the Goblin Kingdom?"

"Well," she began, "at first I thought it was going to be hell. I mean, I had only ever thought about Jareth as my adversary. The enemy that had stolen my baby brother and who I needed to defeat in order to save him, and all the things he did on my run in the Labyrinth only served to solidify these belief's"

"And now?" the queen questioned.

"And now I see him as an ally, not an enemy. I mean, I don't fully trust him, but I don't hate him anymore. We've come to an understanding, of sorts. I told him that I didn't know what kind of relationship we would ever have, but that I wanted to try to have a more pleasant one. I _am_ destined to live out the rest of my life here, and I didn't want to spend all of it hating him and fighting with him. I mean, I don't think I ever really thought of him as evil or wicked, but more...misunderstood, I guess. I still don't know why he cast those spells on me, what reasons he had behind them, but I suppose that's all in the past now. I can't do anything about it so I might as well deal with it and get on living." she shrugged.

Titania nodded. "A very good attitude to have, dear Sarah. There is indeed nothing that can be done to reverse the spells cast upon you, no more than you can change the direction that the wind chooses to blow. However, you _can_ adjust your sails."

Sarah nodded.

"Sarah, has Jareth told you anything about a changling?"

She thought about it for a moment then shook her head. "Not really, no. He told me that fae magic was in me and that soon I'd become a fae. That's all."

"Do you know what that entails?"

"Being a fae?" Sarah answered lamley.

Titania smiled. "Yes. A fae. With your own magical abilities and eternal life"

Sarah blinked as she processed the information. She was going to have magical abilities? She was going to have an eternal life? The thought made her happy, and yet sad at the same time. Those things were great and all, but when she really thought about it, it meant that she was no longer human. She wasn't a monster but she wasn't human, and the thought disturbed her a bit. Would being a fae change who she was? Would she think and act differently just because she was no longer human? Would she loose the part of her that was Sarah?

She lifted her head and looked at Titania who was smiling at her, and she knew the answer. No. She wouldn't loose herself just because she was going to be a fae, she was still human born afterall, and that would never change.

"I see you have come to terms with turning into a fae" Titania stated.

Sarah nodded. "Yeah. It will take some getting used to, but I'll be alright with it."

"Excellent. I was hoping that you would take this news well, and it is also good to see you have accepted it as quickly as you have. Now we can move onto the next two subjects at hand." Titania said, delighted.

"Next two subjects? Is this the part where I'm going to need that drink from Jareth's study?"

"Perhaps" Titania said.

Sarah groaned.

"Does Jareth know about your being bitten by the queen of fairy's, Callisto?"

Sarah's brow furrowed as she thought. "Well...no, I guess not. Not unless Hoggle told him, because I never did. Why? What's that got to do with anything?"

"You are no simple changling, Sarah. Fae magic does course through your veins, but so does fairy magic. You are the child of destiny of which the ancient prophecy has foretold." Titania reached over and clasped Sarah's hands within her own.

"...child of...destiny..? Prophecy? ..."

The high queen nodded. "It has been told for centuries that a human born battle maiden will arrive in Avalon, possessing both fae and fairy magic, and that she will eradicate the great evil that looms and threatens the two worlds and lead Avalon to a golden era of peace and prosperity."

Sarah opened her mouth only to shut it, and then repeat the process a couple of more times before words actually formed and were spoken.

"I don't...I mean...how could I...how could this..."

"Sarah, you _are_ the battle maiden the prophecy speaks of. I am certain of it."

"But...but..I'm no battle maiden...I'm just...me.."

Titania stroked Sarah's hand reassuringly, patiently waiting for Sarah to accept her fate and duty.

"Be not afraid Sarah, there is nothing to fear"

"But I'm not...I can't be..." she trailed off.

"But you are. You are human born. You possess both fae and fairy magic. You arrived in Avalon not a few days past. It is exactley as it was foretold. You _ARE_ the battle maiden. Accept your fate. Accept your duty."

Sarah paled. "My duty?"

"Yes. Your duty to protect all of the Aboveground and all of the Underground from the evil that threatens it. It looms not far in the distance Sarah, and I am certain that you have felt it in your heart. You know that something is coming, though you might not know what, you can feel it in the very fiber of your being. Am I incorrect?"

Her insides quaked with fear and tears rolled down her cheeks. She was right. She had felt it.

"No." she whispered, looking at the high queen with glassy eyes.

"You are the battle maiden" Titania repeated as if to drive the fact into Sarah's skull, "and you have much to learn before it is too late."

"Learn? Learn what?"

"How to fight. How to control your magical abilities. The prophecy has never said exactley what kind of power it is that the battle maiden possesses, only that it is great. But first you must be able to use basic fae and fairy magic, in doing that you will learn how to use them in conjunction with one another, and that will unleash your true powers. That is how it is told."

Sarah trembled in her seat. Fight? They wanted her to fight? Battle maiden? Who the hell did she look like? Xena the warrior princess? She was just a feeble little human turned fae! She didn't know the first thing about fighting! And even less about using magical powers.

"I..I...I'm sorry!" she blurted out suddenly, taking back her hands and standing quickly. Her chair rocked from behind her and fell over with a 'clang', but she didn't hear it.

"Sarah?" Titania asked, a frown marring her china doll face.

"I'm sorry! I really am. But...I..I can't do this. I'm no warrior. I'm just ... Hell, I don't know what I am anymore! But I'm not...I can't...I'm...sorry!" she cried, backing away from Titania until her back met a stone wall.

"Sarah" Titania said patiently, calmly as she rose, "you are the child of destiny. You know this in your heart to be true. And if you refuse to battle, then the Aboveground as well as the Underground will perish. All the fae. All the elves. All the goblins. Jareth, too, will perish."

Sarah gasped at the queen's last remark, eyes wide with horror as her mind fabricated the events that would lead to Jareth's death, him bloody and reaching out for her, calling her name over and over again until his last breath.

She crumpled against the stone wall, threw her hands over her face, and bawled.

Titania knelt beside Sarah and enveloped the shaking and sobbing girl into her motherly embrace, holding her while her fears and stress and uncertanties drained out of her little by little. It took a little while of making soothing noises and stroking her tenderly, but finally Sarah's tears died down to hiccups and sniffles.

"There there now, shh. It's alright, that's my girl, deep breaths." Titania cooed.

"I'm afraid" the admittance muffled by Titania's dress.

"And that is alright. It is alright to be afraid, Sarah."

"I don't have the courage to do this. I'm too afraid" Sarah spoke again, lifting her head a bit.

"Dear Sarah, courage does not mean that you are not afraid. It simply means that even though you may be afraid, that you still stand your ground. Everyone is afraid at times. I am sorry that such a burden has been heaped upon you, but this was fated before you were born. You are the only one with the strength and wit and heart to bear this burden, the only one who can defeat the evil that comes and save our worlds"

"How come Jareth never told me about this?"

"The thought has probably never crossed his mind. All he has thought of for so long is you, Sarah." Titana smiled gently down at her, then dipped her head and kissed Sarah's forehead.

Sarah sniffled. "I think I'll take that drink now"

Titania chuckled. "If that is what you wish, but let us drink something less...rough, shall we? I have an Irish cream drink that I think you'll find very nice, and it coats the throat rather than burn it".

"Sounds good." she said as they stood and brushed themselves off.

"Now, about your training. I will be teaching you alongside Queen Callisto, as you have both you will need the both of us to train you."

"Do all fae go through training?" Sarah asked as they began their walk back to the castle.

"No. A fae's magic is something that a fae learns naturally as they grow older, like a human toddler learns to walk and talk. But you were mortal born and thus haven't the natural senses to hone and weild your powers, thus you need to be taught. I assume that once Jareth hears of this, that he will also be teaching you how to weild your powers."

Sarah wiped her eyes. The thought of being with Jareth for an extended period of time gave her an odd sense of comfort, but she wasn't really that surprised. Afterall, who was it that she called out to when Duane appeared? There was no use denying it, she felt comfortable and comforted by the Goblin King. And she also knew that she trusted him a great deal even after all that had happened, though she wouldn't reveal that fact to him just yet. He really _did_ have to earn her trust. But she supposed it was the fact that there were so many misunderstandings between them that made her cut him some slack.

_'And then there's the fact that he's quite charming and you can't really resist a charming Goblin King, now can you?'_

She sighed. Nope. She couldn't. Little by little Jareth was worming his way through her defenses, and she had to wonder if he would eventually do the same with her heart.

_'Let's not worry about that, shall we? Sexy Goblin King or not, he still has trust to earn, and a solid friendship to build before there's any worries about having him in our heart... or our pants'_

Sarah blushed crimson as the last thought snuck by. Then she remembered the last dream that she had about him while staying with Aarya, and the thought she had when Ritsa had pointed out where Jareth's bedchambers were. She groaned mentally and hoped that Titania didn't notice her blush, and tried to squash it before they got back to the castle. God only knew what Jareth would think if he saw her blushing like that.

"Are we going to tell him now?" she questioned.

"No. We will wait until dinner to inform Jareth. Afterall, I am certain that you also need time to come to terms with this news. Besides, I would rather not listen to his inevitable rant just yet."

"His rant?" Sarah echoed as she followed the queen out of the maze and up the steps to the entrance of the castle.

"Yes, I'm sure that once he realizes what peril you will be placed in he will fight it tooth and nail. But he must also come to terms with this, for nothing can be done to change it, and once he sees that he will most likley name himself your instructor so that he can oversee your learning himself. He's got a rather large ego when it comes to his magical abilities, don't you find?"

Sarah snorted as she thought of his crystals and how much he seemed to enjoy waving them around infront of her, teasing her, seducing her.

"He _is_ a bit of a show off, now that you mention it"

"That, my dear, is putting it lightly." she chuckled. "But I suppose it was his way of impressing you."

Sarah blushed again. She was still having issues coming to terms with the fact that Jareth had done so many things just for her, just to make her happy, even if sometimes she hadn't known it was him doing so at the time. No man, save Jareth, had ever given her that sort of attention and she found herself both excited and scared by it.

Excited that someone saw her as beautiful and wanted to spend the rest of their life proving to her what they claimed, spend the rest of their life loving her utterly and completley. But scared of trusting too much, of giving her heart away only to have it broken and unable to ever be repaired and be laughed at for her folly.

She sighed as they rounded a corner and walked through a massive hallway, wondering to herself if being loved by anyone other than herself was even worth the risk. She could get by in the world with just herself to love and trust, couldn't she? At least that way there was no risk involved, no way for her tender and vulnerable heart to be hurt.

_'Risk nothing, gain nothing' _Irene's voice rang clearly in her mind. _'take the risk and live with the consequences, or don't take the risk and live with the regret'_

It was the words that she remembered most when her and Irene had their first woman to woman talk after she had returned from the Labyrinth, when they spoke about life and love and everything in between. The day she had let go of most of her childhood fantasies and began to catch up with the rest of the world and all it had to offer, and Irene had been there to offer her advice and guidance when she asked her of it. Because really, what did she know about the real world? She always had her nose stuck in a fantasy novel and her head in the clouds.

Which, when she thought about it a bit more, might just be to her advantage. Her life never really was quite what most people called 'normal'. Even after she had returned from the Labyrinth she didn't dive into the social life that most teenage girls crave above all else, instead she had focused on her work ethic. She worked hard through the remainder of her school days, trying to absorb all that she could and boost her grades from c's to a's and b's.

When she had finally graduated she had taken no more than a month to throw herself into the workforce at a local grocery store as a cashier, while she tried to worm her way into the elementary school as a part time school aide. It was her good luck that the staff at the school had seemingly fallen in love with her from the start and took her as a helper for the grade 4 class as soon as the classes resumed in September, and it had been all downhill from there.

Until now, that is.

_'Risk nothing, gain nothing' _she thought to herself as she blindly followed the queen through the twisting corridor's, wondering to herself if the risk was really worth what she'd gain. She sighed after a few more minutes of her internal battle. She knew damn well that she would end up taking the risk in the end, because she felt it in her soul that it was right. And so far her instincts had yet to fail her, so why should she start doubting it now? Besides, doubting herself was probably the worst thing she could do now. She was, according to Titania, the battle maiden of the ancient prophecy. The fate of this world and the Aboveground depended on her. No pressure. None whatsoever. The worst that would happen was that both worlds would crumble and the beings would suffer a very slow and painful death, then the worlds would finally collapse in on themselves and simply cease to be.

Nope. No pressure at all.

It took several attempts to swallow past the lump in her throat, her eyes stinging with unshed tears that she furiously blinked back. She would be strong, at least when she had an audience, not wanting to have their faith in her waver so quickly. She needed their faith in her to keep her from drowning in her own despair, for if they didn't believe in her-who would? How could she believe in herself when nobody else could?

She started a bit when a gentle hand grasped her shoulder, not even realising that they had even stopped infront of Sarah's bedroom doors. Titania squeezed gently, reassuring her that everything would be alright in that one simple touch. Sarah offered as much of a smile as she could, which was shaky at best, but Titania smiled brightly back at her, nodded, and walked back down the corridor they had just come.

Somewhere in the back of Sarah's bedraggled mind, a voice reminded her that she should be preparing herself for dinner, and that snapped her back to reality somewhat. Mechanically she opened the door, walked in and shut the door behind her, and walked over to one of the couches on the opposite end of the room and sank into it. She toed off her shoes and merley sat in silence, staring at the wall.

Battle maiden. That's what Titania had said that she was. All she could think of was something like a valkyrie. Armor plating her body and ending up looking like an armored dress, complete with gauntlets and knee high boots, and wielding an insanley huge sword or axe.

The oval mirror by her desk caught her eye and she made her way over to it, the image of the battle maiden fresh in her mind, and began to compare herself to her vision. She imagined herself covered from breast to toe in a great armored dress, her weapon in hand. She cocked her head slightly in thought, holding the image, but she swiftly erased it with a bark of humourless laughter.

This was ridiculous. She wanted to laugh this all off as a joke or dismiss it as some sort of dream, to relieve this pressure that she felt on her shoulders and chest. She wanted to go back to being a normal young woman back in the Aboveground, to helping kids with their math and spending lazy weekends at home or visiting her family, to the days when she sometimes imagined herself as a herione that was brave and powerful and beautiful, a being that was destined for great things.

But now she actually had it, and the taste was so much bitter ash in her mouth. Not that she had actually ever thought her fantasy would come true, it was just one of those things that she had thought would be wonderful. To be powerful and able to do amazing things that nobody else could, to save the people she loved and cared for and even those who had no idea of her existance, the utter joy and love and admiration she would receive upon her success. Back then she chalked it up to feeling inadequate and powerless in her life, and those were normal feelings to have, she thought, when one lived such a quiet life.

But she never imagined the pressure that would be heaped upon her, the pressure keep everyone safe while she attempted to brave the uknown force before her and win. And before that, the pressure to train hard and try to be as powerful as she could before she ran out of time.

Train. That's right. She had to be trained how to use her own magical ability first. Oh joy, that should be interesting. How was she going to use something she didn't even know she had until a couple of hours ago? How was she going to use something that was completley foreign to her? Fae's and the like were naturally born with magic and learned how to use it throughout their lives, of which they had much of because they lived forever, so they could make as many mistakes and take as long to learn as they wanted.

But she was on a schedule, even if she did not know how much time was left for her, she did know one thing:Time was running out. Every second that she wasn't spending on training herself was another second more that she was going unprepared. The sooner she got started the better off she would be, and would feel. Maybe through her training she could relieve some of the burden by feeling that she was doing something, not just standing around waiting for doomsday.

_'You realize of course that you've just embraced the fact that you are a battle maiden, right?'_

The thought startled her somewhat. She had, hadn't she? She was no longer thinking that it was a mistake or impossible, she had accepted it as true and was preparing herself for it. She was scared but not as much as before, which was confusing considering the task she was appointed.

_'Well, come on feet'_ she heard herself say with a sigh. The words she had told herself the moment before she had started her journey in the Labyrinth for the first time. The words that had given her the courage and the push she needed to start her seemingly impossible journey.

She came out of her thoughts and looked again into the mirror before her, once again imagining herself as the battle maiden she was told she was, and was surprised at what she saw. She was no longer in a stiff and awkward suit of armor, standing ramrod straight and trying to hold onto her weapon properly. She now stood confidently in her suit of armor as if she had worn it all her life, not the least bit uncomfortable by the plates of armor that surrounded her body, her weapon; although it was huge and looked like it weighed a ton, she held on a shoulder comfortably in a sturdy grip.

She no longer looked out of place or scared or confused. Now she looked confident and ready to take on whatever was coming her way head on. Her lips quirked up in a tiny smile, a bit more at ease with the new - and a bit strange - situation that she now found herself in. She was still afraid but that simple phrase from what seemed an eternity ago seemed to have tapped into an internal source of courage, and it now coursed through her veins and gave her a sense of inner peace.

_'This is totally bizarre...beyond bizarre! Me? A battle maiden? A fight for the peace of the Underground and Aboveground? This is just so...wow...Fuck, a person could really easily turn to booze from hanging around these people with the majorly life altering bombs they keep magically producing and dropping!'_

She wiped a hand over her face before she turned and walked towards the bathroom, she needed a bath before she dressed for dinner. She halted when a thought occured to her. Where was Ritsa? She had assumed that the half elf woman would be in her bedroom waiting to help her dress and such before dinner, or at least that's how she thought things would work, never having been royalty or rich.

She shrugged. She was pretty sure that she remembered how to work the magical bathtub, and even if the dresses here were looked a bit more complicated with all their strings and buttons, she was sure that she could figure that out, too. And if she couldn't, well, there had to be _something_ in that huge closet that was of a more simple design that she could just slip into.

_'Oooh! Sexay!' _Sarah thought smugly to herself as she turned to admire herself from the back in the mirror. She found an elegant evening gown in the color of champagne and made of a silky charmeuse satin. The gown had an open halter neckline with a deep front V cut and eye-hook closure at the neck. The front V neckline was highlighted by round and teardrop diamond cut crystals that was scattered with small crystal beads at the neckline. Finishing the gown was a slim skirt centered with circle cut ruffles that fell down the front down to the sweeping cocktail train. She finished her outfit with a pair of cream colored high heel sandals with 4" stiletto heels, adjustable ankle strap, and embellished platform soles.

There was nothing better to pick up a girls' spirit than a beautiful dress combined with sexy shoes, knowing that when she walked into a room all eyes would be fixed on her. It was a bit embarrassing at first but she secretly loved the attention. It was almost every girls dream to be the belle of the ball, the beauty in the amazing dress with sexy hair-do and just a bit of makeup.

Speaking of which. She turned on her heel and walked to her desk, grabbed her brush, and started to wonder what kind of style would go good with this dress as she brushed. She hummed and hawed for a few minutes, going back and fourth between leaving it down and putting it up into some sort of bun, but in the end she settled on the bun.

She swept the front part of her hair to one side as to create a fuller crown area, using her fingers along with her brush to direct both sides to the back of your head. She then gathered her hair into a loose pony and secured it with an elastic band. She pushed her pony up slightly to produce fullness at the top of her head and, using what Ritsa had described as basically the same thing as hairspray, sprayed the concotion liberally.

Then she divided the pony into one inch sections, and then with the impressive and simple finger technique that Ritsa had shown her for curling her hair, she curled each section loosely. After each section was curled, she used a bobby pin to secure the curl limply against her scalp, making sure that she pinned some at the top as to form an even and evenhanded shape. Once she finished pinning the curls, she used her fingers to gently loosen up the curls, making it look untidy. She finished off with a little bit of hair spray, turning her head to the sides to check how it looked, and smiled with satisfaction at her job well done.

She finished apparently right on time as a knock came from her door. She absently gave the person permission to enter, checking one last time to see if there was anything that she was missing, before she turned to properly greet her guest.

"My my, Sarah, but you do know how to dress up rather nicely" Queen Titania complimented, sweeping her gaze up and down Sarah's body.

Sarah smiled and bowed her head in modesty. "Thank you, your majesty. You look lovely, as well."

The queen was dressed in a simple white spaghetti strap dress that clung loosely to her curves and cut off mid-calf, and was decorated in crystals designs of flowers and vines up one side of the dress. On her feet she wore a pair of white high heel pumps that had an open toe design and a gem encrusted t-strap.

The queen thanked her. "If I may ask, where did you get your fashion sense from? And who taught you how to do your hair like that? Even with assistance, most of the girls from royalty look as if they fallen into a bowl of glitter and acquired their dress from an Aboveground circus."

Sarah giggled, imagining a certian royal pain in her ass in such an outfit.

"I learned how to dress from my mother, and my step-mother taught me how to do my hair. It was hard to do the first few times, actually, but once I got used to it I started stepping out of their shadow's and doing different things for myself. It was quite liberating, actually."

Titania smiled and nodded. "Yes, I can understand that. It was the same thing for me when I started to do things without my mother's help, and it was always nice that when I had questions or concerns I could still go to her for guidance without feeling like I had failed."

"I know what you mean" Sarah agreed.

"Well, shall we be on our way to the dining hall then? Wouldn't want to keep Jareth waiting, now would we?"

"No...I mean, yes! I mean...no we wouldn't want to keep Jareth waiting, and yes we should be going now" Sarah hurried to correct herself, flushing from the mild embarrassment.

Titania stepped over to her and wrapped one arm around Sarah's shoulders, leading them out the door as she spoke.

"Be at ease, Sarah. It will all be alright, you will see."

"I wish I felt as at peace as you sound" Sarah said, trying to look more calm than she actually felt.

Titania gave her shoulders a comforting squeeze, to which Sarah gave her a half-hearted smile in return.

"Once you begin your training your confidence will build, and you will no longer second guess your strength. It is hidden there within you, Sarah, we just need to dig it out."

"When do we start training, anyway?"

"In two days time. It is imperative that we beging as soon as possible, but I thought that I would give you a couple of days to let the knowledge of your fate sink in and for you to come to terms with it. And besides that, "she gave a playful wink ," I believe it will take fully two days to calm Jareth down and convince him that you are the battle maiden the prophecy speaks of, and that you will be battling for both the Underground and Aboveground."

Sarah laughed, feeling a bit more at ease as she imagined Jareth throwing a temper tantrum at his mother.

"Thanks. I needed that."

Titania grinned and only nodded, continuing their walk down the hallway towards the dining hall. She could feel Sarah's underlying anxiety and would do all that she could to help relieve it, but the fact remained that she could do nothing to get Sarah out of the mess that she found herself in. If Sarah did not fight and win, then they were all doomed.

She glanced discreetly at Sarah through her lashes, noting how she kept her head held high, eyes focused as if on a distant object, and tried to keep her strides even and graceful. But as confident as she seemed on the outside she knew that she was stressed and worried, the weight of her burden probably weighed greatly upon her with the knowledge of what would happen should she fail.

Titania was impressed, though, at the sheer strength of her willpower. She wouldn't run from this, she knew, because it was not in her nature. Sarah wouldn't run away from a problem that she hadn't even begun to try to figure, and she wouldn't run away if she knew that she was the only person who could solve the problem. But that didn't mean that she would be doing it all by herself.

"You know, Sarah, that you will not be bearing this burden alone, right?" Titania asked.

"Hm?" Sarah mumbled, distracted by her own thoughts.

"Though no one can take your place as the battle maiden, you are not alone." Titania elaborated. "I, along with your other friends, will be at your side to help you in any way that we can. We shall help you carry this burden for as long as it is yours to bear."

Sarah smiled gratefully."Thank you, your majesty. I actually feel much better now. Before it was if I was being crushed from the inside out, but now I feel like I can breath easier."

"It is no trouble, Sarah. Afterall, what are friends for?" Titania winked. "Now, I will bring the news to Jareth's attention during dinner. But not until the drinks after dinner have been served, wouldn't want Jareth to throw his temper tantrum during the main course, as I'm sure it wouldn't be very good for his digestion."

Another giggle from Sarah, and another smile from Titania. If things went as good as she hoped, perhaps Jareth and her would still be talking by the end of the night and Sarah wouldn't be locked away in her room in a magic bubble until the world ceased to exist. As much as Jareth was sure to fight it, there was nothing he could do to prevent the events that were foretold, and there was even less he could do to change Sarah's mind once it was made up.

A couple of minutes later they found themselves standing infront of the door that would lead them into the dining hall, and Sarah was hesitant to let Jareth in on the events of late. She didn't want to cause him unnecessary stress but there wasn't a way that she could think of to avoid the inevitable, unless she denied the task and let both worlds be destroyed. But that had never been an option, not even when her head was refusing the duty that had been shoved upon her. In her heart she had accepted, and she would see it through to the end no matter what happened.

"Are you ready?" Titania asked, patiently waiting for Sarah's inner turmoil to die down to a mild roar.

She inhaled and slowly exhaled and nodded. "Yeah...I'm ready, your majesty."

Titania nodded solemnly, reaching a hand towards the handle she opened the door and walked into the large room, taking only a few steps before she stopped and turned halfway around to beckon silently and gently to Sarah.

Sarah's hands trembled a bit at her side as she stared into the room as if she were voluntarily walking into Hell, her mind making dozens of different horrible scenario's which might happen tonight. Her eyes found Titania's and her resolve hardened, she would and could do this, because the alternative was unthinkable. So she fisted her hands at her side, raised her chin, squared her shoulders and started to walk.

It was time.

She didn't know what was going to happen, but she vowed to do all that she could to protect everyone from the evil that loomed in the distance.

AN:

Phew! Another chapter done. Yaaay! I hope that this chapter was worth the wait. The next chapter will have the dinner scene, and then I'm thinking we shall start Sarah's training. Got idea's or suggestions for upcoming chapters? I'd love to hear 'em! The next chapter will be out just as soon as I think it through a bit more and work out some minor details. Hopefully it'll be out soon, though ^^ Thanks for reading!

KawaiiScorpio 3


	12. Chapter 12

She was calm. The epitome of calm. Unless you noticed her ramrod posture, blank face and clenched fists, that is. Sarah had never been much into acting despite her mother being a star, but she put the little acting she had learned to work as she sat at the dinner table. Titania subtly eyed the girl and suddenly wished that she hadn't said anything about Jareth's inevitable outburst when he learned of Sarah's new duty, perhaps Sarah wouldn't be looking like she was sitting down to her last meal.

Jareth noticed Sarah's stiff posture and unnerving quietness as well, but decided against bringing it up. Whatever it was, he had no intentions of trying to get the information from her judging by how upset she seemed to be. He was sure that Sarah would bring it to his attention sooner or later on her own terms, and whatever it was they would deal with it and move past it. There was nothing that would ever drive a wedge in-between them, no matter what. But right now he decided to leave her to her thoughts.

"So mother, how are you enjoying your stay in the Labyrinth?"

"Oh, I'm having a lovely time as always, dear. Your gardener has done a splendid job with your hedges this year, as he always does." Titania responded, keeping one eye on Sarah as she conversed with her son. She really did not like how quiet she was being at all.

"Yes, well, there are two ways to gain cooperation. To be loved and to be feared." he replied with a smirk, which his mother returned.

"Is Lord Duane not joining us for dinner tonight?" Titania asked, not bothering to disguise the disgust in her voice as she spoke the man's name.

"No. I have arranged for all his meals to be taken to the cottage where he is staying for the time being."

"Good" she sniffed, taking a sip of her drink. Jareth chuckled.

On his other side, Sarah sat, calm and silent. No emotion flickered across her face, and not even a muscle twitched as Jareth and Titania continued their conversation. Outwardly she was the picture of serenity, as cool as a cucumber. But her mind was in a state of chaos.

Not only was her mind still reeling about her new outlook on her future, but what was Jareth going to say about the new turn of events? Not that he could stop it, or stop her from doing what she was apparently destined to do, but she didn't want him to suffer extra stress because of her. What if it drove them apart? What if he decided that she was more trouble than she was worth and sent her back to the Aboveground or banished her to some other part of the Underground?

She wanted to cry and scream, to smash whatever she could get her hands on, and throw a temper tantrum that would put that stuck up bitch, Melantha, to shame. Anything to get rid of of this pressure that was continually building inside of her.

_'Alright alright, before I snap and totally loose it in front of Jareth and Queen Titania, I should probably take a deep breath or ten' _

She forced herself to come to her senses long enough to take a few shallow breaths, focusing on ridding herself, at least a bit, of the near crushing tension.

_'Okay, now that I'm a bit more relaxed, it's time to think things through a bit more rationally. Now then, do you honestly think that Jareth would go through all the trouble of making sure that I would eventually have to return to the Underground just to discard me like a piece of trash at the first sign of trouble? No. I highly doubt it. Childish at times though he may be, he will come to accept this. He wouldn't abandon me like that, I just know he wouldn't'_

She surreptitiously glanced at Jareth, watching as he easily talked with the high queen with a lazy smile on his face, his perfect white teeth showing just a bit. She felt herself relax a bit more as she watched him. No. He wouldn't abandon her a voice from deep within her somewhere told her with certainty, and she decided to take its word.

Dinner was served shortly after and Sarah even found the courage to join in the conversation with Jareth and Titania, a pleasant surprise to them both. The conversation was light and the company was rather enjoyable and soon Sarah had put the more pressing matters to the back of her mind, finding contentment in the moment while it lasted. She knew that soon the Underground would be thrown into a state of chaos and though she swore that she would stop it at any cost, she wanted to be able to relax this one last time before her training would begin. There would be no relaxation after it started.

Too soon in Sarah's opinion dinner was over and dessert was being served. It reminded Sarah of a chocolate mousse, light and fluffy and decadent, but with a thin top layer of dark chocolate mousse and a twist of peppermint. Delicious as it was Sarah was finding great difficulty in swallowing past the lump that had formed in her throat, she had no doubts that if she didn't bring up the subject of her being the battle maiden of legend, that Titania would.

_'Maybe that's not such a bad idea'_

She nearly choked on her dessert as the thought randomly popped into her brain.

Not such a bad idea? What on earth would possess her mind to think such a thing?

_'Get it over with, already! This waiting crap is going to give me a permanent twitch!'_

Well. When it was put _that_ way...

But she still couldn't help but hesitate, all the 'what if's' dancing menacingly in her mind. She glanced over at Titania and was surprised to see that she had been watching her, and had a look of complete understanding in her gaze. Sarah smiled gratefully at the queen, who returned it and then turned her attention to her son.

"Jareth, there is a conversation of great importance that we must have."

He rose an eyebrow at his mother, turned a quick glance to Sarah, and then back.

"Oh? Well then, you have my complete attention, Mother."

Both Titania and Sarah took a deep breath before Titania started to speak again.

"Do you remember the legends of old that I used to tell you about when you were young?"

"Of course, Mother. I may need a bit of a refreshing on the details, but the gist of the legends I remember."

"Do you remember the tale of the battle maiden?"

Jareth narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing Sarah's great unease. "I do. Tell me, Mother, what exactly are you getting at?"

"'Born of humans and yet possessing the magic of both fae and fairy, the battle maiden will come to Avalon to annihilate the great evil that looms over the Underground and threatens the Aboveground. She alone will lead the Underground into a golden era of peace' This is what is foretold in the prophecy of legend." Titania said calmly.

"I remember the legend, Mother. But I do not understand the meaning of this conversation, and exactly it is so important." Jareth said, a bit annoyed at her indirect answers to his questions.

"It is time, Jareth. I know you have felt it, as we all here have. Danger lurks not far away, it creeps ever closer each day that passes."

She was right. He had felt it. The sense of danger that crept in the shadows not so far away.

"You are correct, I have felt the disturbances. So what do you propose we do? Are we to look for the battle maiden of legend?"

Titania shook her head. "There is no need for that, Jareth. For she has found us already"

Sarah shrunk in her seat at Jareth's perplexed look. It was the moment of truth. And as eager as she was to get it done and over with, the fears inside her made her wish that the peace had lasted just a while longer.

"What? What do you mean? Are...you..."

Titania shook her head. "No, Jareth. Not I."

"Well then who..."

Realization struck him like a cannonball to the chest. Sarah. He turned unbelieving eyes to her, but she had her head bent down so that he could not see her eyes.

"Sarah, look at me" he gently prodded. But she didn't move. It was as if she were waiting for an outburst or to be scolded.

He pushed away from the table and dropped to the balls of his feet beside her, gently leaning towards her to try to coax her to look at him.

"Sarah" he said again, his voice smooth and cajoling, "look at me."

It took a couple of minutes but she eventually conceded and met his eyes. They were glassy and timid but an underlying strength and determination told him that it was true. His Sarah was the battle maiden the old legends talked about from when he was but a young lad. Though strange things were often a part of the Underground, and his Labyrinth in particular, this certainly topped them all.

"Well," he said after a few minutes, "this is certainly unexpected."

Titania raised a surprised brow at her son, and Sarah openly stared at him.

"You're...not..upset with...me?" Sarah hesitantly asked, searching his eyes.

"I am not particularly pleased with the latest turn of events, no, and I less than pleased with what I know you must do. But why ever should I be upset with you? It is not your choice, but merely the way things are, and whether I accept them or not makes no difference. Though make no mistake I do not take it lightly, and whether or not you want it, you will be and always will be under my protection."

He stroked her hand gently as he talked. He was greatly troubled indeed at this new information, having had the legend read to him numerous times by his mother. The trials ahead of Sarah was no easy feat and would put her in great peril, but he was serious when he told her that he would protect her. He would not leave her side, not for a moment, no matter what. She was his. She was under his protection, and he would do anything and everything in his power to protect her from harm.

A tear slipped down Sarah's cheek a moment before she broke down and collapsed into Jareth's arms, sobbing in relief. He wasn't going to toss her aside. He wasn't angry about her being the battle maiden. He was understanding and protective and, well, totally the opposite of what she thought he would be once he found out.

She clutched him tightly to her and cried, trembling slightly from the force of the sobs that wracked her. If he would be with her, it would be alright. She wasn't so afraid of what the future held anymore with the knowledge that Jareth would be standing shoulder to shoulder with her, awaiting whatever would come their way.

"I was so afraid" she mumbled into his chest. "I thought that you might be angry, and that you would toss me aside because I was too much trouble"

"Oh precious," Jareth soothed as he rubbed comforting circles on her back, "I do not move the stars for anyone but you, and trust me when I say that there is no force on heaven nor earth that would make me let you go for even an instant. Do not forget that you and I are bonded, that you are mine, and I do not give up what is mine."

Sarah managed a weak chuckle at his last statement, knowing full well that it was true but sensing his intentions to lighten the mood and make her feel better. But she refused to relinquish her hold on him. Within his arms she sought the comfort and strength that she so desired, and she clung to it, not caring for all the world who saw her curled up in the arms of the Goblin King.

"Well, I must say that you are taking the news much better than I thought you might" Titania said as she watched the couple with a smile on her face. "I will leave you for now and retire to my rooms, and we shall discuss the matter of her training in the morning, shall we? I bid you both a good night." And with that she swept out of the room. leaving the pair so they might discuss the situation in private.

They sat on the floor just holding each other for a while, her content with the comfort she found in his arms, and he content to hold her and give her the comfort that she sought, glad that he was the one to give it to her. He didn't care that his legs were numb and that his back ached from the cold stone floor he sat upon, all that mattered was the girl in his arms. He hadn't missed his mother's parting words about Sarah's training, but he put the thought on the back burner of his mind for now. The most important thing right now was to ease Sarah's mind and make sure that she knew that he would be there for her regardless if she was the battle maiden or not.

Mythical powers she might have buried inside of her, but she also had no idea how to put them to use whatsoever. He would teach her how to use her powers, everything else would have to put on hold for now. He told her that he would be there, and he would be, and what better teacher was there than he? Besides that, if she didn't learn how to properly use her powers, there would be nothing left of the world anyway, if the prophecy was correct.

_'How you turned my world, you precious thing' _

The thought gave him an idea and he shifted slightly so that both he and Sarah were a bit more comfortable.

Sarah thought she had drifted off into a dream as she started to hear music play all around her, a gentle humming tune that she had heard once long ago, a tune that she thought that she would never hear again.

"There's such a sad love  
Deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel  
Open and closed within your eyes  
I'll place the sky within your eyes

There's such a fooled heart  
Beating so fast in search of new dreams  
A love that will last within your heart  
I'll place the moon within your heart

As the pain sweeps through  
Makes no sense for you  
Every thrill has gone  
Wasn't too much fun at all  
But I'll be there for you-oo-oo  
As the world falls down

Falling  
(As the world) Falling down  
Falling in love

I'll paint you mornings of gold  
I'll spin you Valentine evenings  
Though we're strangers till now  
We're choosing the path between the stars  
I'll leave my love between the stars

Falling  
(As the world) Falling down  
Falling  
As the world falls down  
Falling  
Falling  
Falling  
Falling in love  
As the world falls down  
(down) Falling  
Falling  
Falling  
Falling in love  
As the world falls down

Falling  
Falling  
Falling

Makes no sense at all  
Makes no sense to fall  
Falling  
As the world falls down  
Falling  
Falling  
Falling in love  
As the world falls down  
(down) Falling  
Falling  
Falling in love  
Falling in love (love)  
Falling in love  
Falling in love  
Falling in love"

Sarah stared deep into his eyes as he sang to her, gently swaying to the music as he did so, his eyes never once breaking contact with hers. She was completely mesmerized by his eyes, by his song, by his mouth, by his voice. She remembered this feeling the first time she had heard his song, the nervous anticipation of his touch, and the awe of the emotions swimming in his beautiful eyes. When she had learned of the peach though, she chalked it all up to the enchantment on the fruit and discarded all the feelings, wonderful though they were, thinking that they were tainted with deceit.

But now she wasn't so sure. There was no enchanted fruit now, and she felt the pleasure crawl up her back in dainty claws, setting her nerve endings on fire. He smiled down reassuringly at her, the same emotions she remembered from all those years ago still present within his eyes as they seemed to search her own.

She barely had time to process everything that had transpired within the past hour before she came to the realization that Jareth's head was slowly dipping down, and then his warm, soft lips were on hers, tendrils of his hair tickling her cheek. It was not a demanding kiss but a soft kiss full of comfort and promise of safety, and there was something else mixed in as well. Maybe it was because of her being a changling that she could sense these things, or perhaps something as simple as female intuition, but she clearly sensed his passion, his lust, and his love in the kiss as well.

She couldn't believe the amount of feelings she was receiving from just a simple kiss, but it was there nonetheless. It was small, and maybe that was because he was trying to hide it from her, but she could feel it. And it was wonderful. She let herself be swept away by the passion she felt from him and returned his kiss, reaching up a hand and wrapping it around his neck and bringing him closer to her. She didn't know what she felt for him, she didn't know if she felt love for him or not, but she knew that she wanted this kiss, at least.

She hoped that he could sense her feelings as she could sense his, for she didn't want her actions to be misinterpreted. Maybe returning the kiss was wrong if she did not know how she felt, but she found that she couldn't resist it. She just hoped that this moment wouldn't come back to bite her in the ass later.

When he ended the kiss, he was ridiculously pleased to see the light flush in Sarah's cheeks and the slightly dazed look in her eyes. He had had a moments hesitation after he had initiated the kiss, cursing himself for letting himself be caught up in the moment enough to kiss her without her consent. He was sure she would tear herself away from him, probably slap him, and then storm out of the room. But he was pleasantly surprised when she started to return it instead, and enjoying it if her pulling him closer was any indication.

He hid his emotions, other than comfort and security, from her, and nearly pulled back when he sensed her unease and confusion, but he realized that the feelings were not directed at him, but at herself. Relieved that she had not discovered the full magnitude of his desire for her, he let the kiss continue for a few moments longer before he regretfully ended the kiss.

Her eyes were still looking up at him but were unfocused, which pleased him as well, and he felt her fear and unease ebb away to be replaced with contentment. He also sensed her exhaustion, both mental and physical, and decided that she had definatley had enough emotional turmoil for one day. Tomorrow they would discuss her training and he would try to figure out how he would both run the kingdom and train her how to use her magic.

"I do believe that the rest of this conversation can wait till morning, and you should be getting some rest. Training will be no easy task and will require much energy." he told her seriously but gently.

She stifled a yawn as she made to move out of his lap and stand, but he effortlessly took her into his arms and stood with grace that she didn't think was even possible, especially after sitting on a hard cold stone floor for that amount of time. If he was in any pain or discomfort, he certainly hid it well, and started the trek to Sarah's room. She breifly wondered why he didn't just teleport them both to Sarah's room, but came to the conclusion that he must have wanted the dual opportunities to be both chivalrous and hold her in his arms longer. The thought made her smile a sleepy smile and settle her head onto his chest, she wasn't about to complain, especially when she felt so safe and secure and protected in his arms.

In what seemed like no time at all they arrived at Sarah's room. He deftly waved his hand and the door opened for him, and closed after he had entered. Another flick of his wrist had the covers on Sarah's bed fold back enough for him to gently deposit her on the bed, he then removed her shoes himself, and covered her with the blankets, much to her confusion.

"I still need to change, you know?" she said with a grin, raising an eyebrow at him.

He grinned down at her, held one hand out in front of him and snapped his fingers, which seemed to echo and reverberate off the walls.

"Done." he said simply.

She blinked as she pulled back the covers to reveal that she was indeed now garbed in one of her silky nightdresses.

"Show off" she said with a chuckle.

His grin widened. "Sleep well, precious."

He bent down to her and kissed her forehead gently, pulled back and rubbed the back of his hand on her cheek as he looked into her eyes, then stood and made to leave.

"Jareth?" she asked as he got to the door.

He turned to her. "Yes?"

She smiled tenderly at him. "Thank you, for everything"

He smiled back. "You are welcome, Sarah. Sweet dreams."

"And to you, Jareth. Good night."

Then he was gone, switching off the lights on his way out.

Sarah couldn't help the smile that seemed to be stuck on her face as she cuddled deeper into the mattress. This was the perfect ending to a day that had been less than favorable. Hopefully Jareth would have an answer for Duane soon enough and she would never have to see him again, and the same went for Melantha. And speaking of Duane, she still wanted to find out just what it was he was up to. Not that she had any evidence to support her theory, but she felt that he was up to no good. A sneaky little rat. That's exactly what he was. And now she had to juggle her training with her snooping, and sighed at the thought. Why were things never so easy for her? Everything always had to be so damn complicated all the time, and she briefly wondered if things would ever settle down for her.

She quickly banished her thoughts from her mind. She had no desire to think of them at all, she would much rather remember the moments she and Jareth had shared earlier. She wanted to go to bed with his song to be her lullaby. She let the feeling of safety envelope her as she drifted off into blissful slumber, wondering just what the future held for them both.

Meanwhile in Jareth's bedchambers.

He brushed his fingers through his hair for the seemingly umpteenth time since he had left Sarah's room straight for his, which seemed like hours ago but in reality was a mere fifteen minutes. How could this be? Sarah. The battle maiden of legend. A being even more mystical than the fae themselves. A being that the prophecy said had the powers of a fae, only greater, and a power that she alone possessed. Not that he couldn't believe the prophecy was coming true because legends and such were fact in the Underground, whereas in the Aboveground they were just that-legends. The fact he was having issues coming to terms with was that it was Sarah who was the person in the prophecy.

Though he had acted calm during dinner and while he had comforted Sarah, he was anything but calm. The thought of what was in store for her, and of what she must do, greatly bothered and disturbed him. Sarah was feisty and opinionated and stood up for what she believed in, but she was no warrior. From what he knew of the prophecy, the battle maiden was destined to destroy the great evil that threatened the Underground and Aboveground. She would have to kill someone. And he wasn't so sure that she would be able to do it, and if she was, would she be able to live with herself after?

He truly wished that he had the powers to stop what was coming, or make the prophecy choose someone else. Anyone other than Sarah. But he could not. He was helpless. And he hated it.

_'Well, not completely helpless. I can help her by training her, by preparing her physically and mentally for what she must do. And I will do what I can to protect her when the time comes.'_

He sighed heavily. Things just got a lot more complicated in the Underground, that was for sure. Though he swore that if they made it out of the mess they found themselves in, that he would stop putting off telling her how he felt about her. But in light of the new circumstances he thought it was wiser to be her tutor rather than be her suitor, she didn't need any distractions from her training. The more she learned and used her abilities, the more prepared she would be, and the better he would feel.

He vanished his clothes and crawled into his bed, feeling totally exhausted, and hoping that rest would find him soon. He was going to need all the strength he possessed in order to train Sarah in the art of magic. She needed to learn the basics of conjuring her own magic and control it without difficulty, then from there she would need to learn basic defense spells. That shouldn't take her too long to master as it required little effort once one got the hang of it, and Sarah was quite a quick learner. Then on to basic attack spells, which posed a bit more of a problem as attack spells were more volatile and unstable than defense spells.

Another sigh escaped his parted lips as he swung one arm to cover his eyes, mentally ticking off all of the spells that she would have to learn. All of the plans he had so carefully thought out to woo Sarah were roughly shoved into a mental drawer and locked until such a time when they weren't all in mortal peril, once they were safe, he would have all the time he needed to properly court Sarah and make her irrevocably his in every way.

- Meanwhile in the eastern kingdom of Lord Na-reth of the house Dwin'neldth.

"Are you certain you will not be missed" Melantha asked as she laid on her bed, lazily massaging the inside of Duane's thigh as he read a thick book, the title which went completely unnoticed by the girl.

"I have a doppleganger set up in the cottage where I am to stay in the Labyrinth, its magical energy is identical to my own, as well as its appearance. Only if someone were to speak to it would they potentially discover that it is a fake, for my doppleganger does not speak." he responded dully, as if speaking to a particularly dim-witted child.

She either ignored it or missed it completely.

"Why does it not speak?" she inquired, moving her hand a bit further up and grinning mischievously.

He sighed, marking his page in the book and setting it on the stand beside the bed, for clearly he would get no reading done tonight. He was tempted to magically bind and gag her so that he might get something accomplished, but he knew that he needed her talents with potion brewing for his plans to come to complete fruition.

"Because he is to be seen, not to be heard. It is simply a way for me to go about unnoticed, and even if someone were to check up on me while I am otherwise occupied, they would find me where the Goblin King had put me, seemingly obeying all of his rules and tucked securely under his thumb."

"Ooh. How devious of you. It turns me on" she purred seductively, reaching up and cupping him firmly in one hand.

He roughly shoved her hand away and flipped her onto her stomach, holding her hips up with one hand and positioning himself at her entrance from behind with the other.

"You've no idea just how devious I can be, woman. Now, if you insist on making pointless noise, you can at least make it entertaining for me to hear."

With that final statement, he roughly slammed into her and she screamed in wild abandon of ecstasy.

"Soon," he growled, "it will be time for you to complete your end of the bargain"

"Yessssss! Ohhhh, yes!" she moaned and cried, clenching the fabric of her sheets in her fists.

_'Soon, I will have all that I desire, and all will be as I have planned.'_

Sarah awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and light hearted, which seemed kind of strange considering her current set of circumstances, but she shrugged and decided to enjoy the mood. She threw on a pair of jeans, a white blouse and a pair of simple sandals and headed out of her room, eager to start off her day with a hearty breakfast with Jareth and Titania. She couldn't help the smile that stretched across her lips as she thought fondly about the two of them, one who was digging his way into her heart whether she wanted it or not it seemed, and the other was quickly becoming like another mother to her.

At first when she had realized just how quickly they were demolishing her defenses and worming their way into her heart, she had panicked at the sheer speed that it was happening at. She had been in the Underground for, what, four days? It seemed like months or perhaps even years had passed since she had fallen back into the Underground. Four days and she had changed her whole outlook on Jareth, acquired two enemies, found out she was no longer human, and that she was a mystical warrior bound to save the two worlds that she held so close to her heart. And yet she was no longer shocked by everything that had happened, she merely accepted the facts and went with the flow instead of trying to fight the current that was sweeping her away.

She wasn't a little girl anymore hiding behind her mother's legs and leaving the big decisions up to her and to make everything right with the world again, she was a woman now, and though sometimes she stood on somewhat wobbly legs she gained confidence quickly as she went, trusting her instincts to guide her down the right path. Make no mistake that inside she was scared and felt lost but instead of letting her inner fears rule her, she stood her ground, held her head high, pulled up her big girl panties and faced her problems head on. Running would do no good for her or anybody else and would result in the deaths of millions of innocents, and it would be all her fault because she was too afraid to fight. She couldn't let that happen, come hell or high water she would dig deep into herself and take hold of the courage she knew laid within her and fight for all she was worth.

Sarah bounced merrily down the halls, gaining confidence from her inner motivational speech, chirping a good morning to a small group of goblin's who were consuming their breakfast, and a maid that was caught a bit off guard by Sarah's chipper mood, but managed to smile and politely return the greeting. She turned down another hallway and the sight of Jareth and Titania just sitting down at the table greeted her, and she couldn't stop her grin from widening just a bit.

Jareth rose as Sarah approached the table and pulled out a chair for her, and she could not hide her smile as she thanked him and sat down.

"Did you sleep well?" Jareth questioned her, returning to his seat and signaling to a nearby servant.

"Very well, thank you. How is everyone this morning?" she beamed.

"Couldn't be better" Jareth responded with a wink, to which Sarah blushed lightly.

"I have had a very restful evening as well, thank you." Titania said, smiling at Sarah before returning her attention to her breakfast.

"Breakfast time for the lady!" a little goblin squealed happily as she bounded into the room, setting a plate infront of Sarah with a wide, toothy grin. "Fresh eggs and bacon for the lady, good stuffs to makes her strong" she added, her large eyes wide and bright with obvious pride of her work.

"This smells delicious, thank you" Sarah smiled down at her, which widened further when the little goblin's eyes grew bigger and she strolled out of the room in what may have been a little jig.

The trio chatted happily and lightly amongst themselves, and Sarah felt the most pleasant sense of right in that moment. A feeling that she was where she was supposed to be and with whom she was supposed to be with, and she sighed a happy and content sigh. When they were finished, however, Sarah felt a tense air fill the room and instinctively knew that the time had come to talk more on the subject of her training and how they were going to work it. Whether or not Titania and Jareth would take turns teaching her, or if she would have one solid instructor or if they would team up together to teach her.

Her heart sped up a little in both anxiety and anticipation for her training to begin. Anxiety about not living up to the standards of a battle maiden or to Jareth and Titania's expectations, and anticipation with wonderment at the magic flowing through her veins and just how she would and could use it, a part of her wondering what her powers were exactly and another part of her eager to experiment with said powers. She briefly wondered if she could transform into some kind of animal like Jareth could, which seemed slightly plausible seeing as it was partly his own fae magic mixed in with Callisto's fairy magic that coursed through her.

"Well, I suppose there is no delaying this conversation any longer" Titania said somberly, folding her hands into her lap and looking at her companions. "Sarah needs training, she must learn how to weild her newfound magic, and she needs to start quickly."

Jareth sat forward, setting his elbows on the table and intertwining his fingers as a resting place for his chin. His brows came together in deep concentration, and Sarah could see the faraway look in his eyes. There were a few moments of intense silence before he spoke.

"I agree, mother. She needs guidance and tutelage on how to both manifest and control her abilities, what did you have in mind?"

"I believe that a combination of teachers would be the best approach for this, for different area's of her magic. Your own fae magic is infused with Sarah, and I believe it would be best if you taught her the basics of your magic. The same as Callisto would be best for teaching Sarah the basics in fairy magic. As well as someone must be chosen to teach Sarah to combat without the use of her magic." Titania explained.

Jareth nodded. "And after that?" he questioned. "Does not the prophecy speak of a different kind of magic that the battle maiden alone possesses? How are we to teach her that?"

Titania nodded. "It does, and I have been contemplating that question as well. The only answer that I have is that hopefully once Sarah has grasped the basic's of both your magic and fairy magic, her own natural powers will surface from there. No one knows what powers the battle maiden will possess, besides the battle maiden herself, so there is no way for us to teach her that."

"I understand" Jareth said solemnly, turning to Sarah. "Sarah, do you understand and accept the conditions of your training? The conditions being that you will have more than one tutor and will be expected to have at least one lesson each day until such a time that you are deemed fit to enter battle, or until battle occurs, whichever may come first. And do you understand the dangers and trials of being taught to fight both with and without magic?"

Sarah blinked as she tried to comprehend exactly what Jareth was telling her, though her mind was foggy with anxiety at the possibility of entering battle unprepared, but she supposed that she understood what he was asking of her and inclined her head in the affirmative.

Jareth nodded. "Very well. I will begin your lessons this afternoon in the courtyard, for now you are fine clothed as you are, but only until I have the proper suit made for you."

Sarah sucked in a shaky breath and nodded.

_'This is it'_ she thought anxiously, _'the start of something so much bigger than me, something that could ultimatley end up destroying me. They don't say that 'with great power comes great responsibility' for nothing! Am I truly able to handle this?'_

Before she could answer her thought, she felt a light touch on her hand and felt the warmth that spread from that one spot up her arm, down through her chest and stomach, straight down to her toes. She looked up from her hand to find Jareth giving her a reassuring smile.

"Do not worry yourself, Sarah. Everything will be alright. I promise. Remember, you will be and always will be under my protection."

And just like that, Sarah's mind became clear once more, and all the fears and troubles were chased away from her heart. She smiled back at Jareth and linked a couple of his fingers with her own.

"Thank you, Jareth. I promise to try my best to learn all that you have to teach."

AN: So, there it is. This chapter gave me so much hell! It was ridiculous! Hence the long overdo update. It's probably a bit shorter (and less eventful) than other chapters as well, which is another direct result of me posting it so very late. Every time I tried to write I could only get a small amount done, perhaps a paragraph, before my mind would go blank and I'd be stuck trying to come up with the rest. It was irritating, to put it quite mildly. (Every time it'd happen I'd have much more colorful language to express my displeasure, but I don't want to scar people for life with my very naughty vocabulary) But in any case, I hope that you like this chapter and I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that the next chapter won't give me so much damn grief to write. (Though it might because I'm still working on different spells I want in the story, if you have any idea's for that I'd love to hear 'em!) In the next chapter I will start Sarah's training. (Which really makes me think of Defense Against the Dark Arts from Harry Potter XD ) Thanks for all the favorites and alerts! Each and every one of them made me smile and give this story another go instead of just throwing up my hands and giving up. I HATE YOU WRITERS BLOCK! Shew! Shew, I say!


	13. Chapter 13

That afternoon found Sarah out in a courtyard beside Jareth and across from Titania, about to start the daunting task of her training. She had been thinking about what kinds of powers she may possess since breakfast that morning, whether or not they would be similar to Jareth's or maybe Callisto's, or perhaps different from both entirely. It was an interesting notion to think that she had any magical ability at all and she was both eager and nervous to get started, worried that she would fail some sort of expectation of her as the legendary battle maiden.

But no matter what she vowed to try her best to understand all that she would be taught, and learn how to use her abilities as well as Jareth and Titania. It couldn't be that hard, could it? It wouldn't be anything like the shows about magic that she had watched growing up she knew, no flicks from a magic wand and presto, magic trick accomplished and an amazed crowd applauding you. But she was nothing if not determined, and if they could do it than so could she.

She hoped.

"Alright," Titania started, bringing Sarah's attention from her inner rambling, "time to begin your first magic lesson, Sarah. Are you ready?"

Her insides quivered slightly as her nerves wound themselves tight and she mentally cursed when she felt her hands start to go sweaty, rubbing them on the front of her pants, hoping that Jareth didn't notice, and took a few deep breaths before she managed a weak smile and nod.

"As I'll ever be, I guess"

The older woman smiled. "You must relax, Sarah, or else you run the risk of your magic becoming unstable and potentially dangerous. For now we will focus on you finding the magic inside of you, and once you have found it you will learn to use it, and then refine it. Do you understand?"

Sarah nodded.

"Excellent. Now, to begin with, I want you to sit down on the ground and try to relax."

She arched a fine brow but did as she was told, sitting gently on the soft grass and crossing her legs in front of her, she concentrated on taking a few deep breaths and letting them out slowly, then inhaling deep, and letting it escape slowly again. After a few minutes she felt her posture relax slightly and her breathing became less labored, she was, dare she say, comfortable.

Titania must have noticed because she continued with her lesson.

"Now you must close your eyes and search deep within yourself for your magic"

"How will I know when I find it?"

"You'll know" Titania said wisely with a smile.

Sarah shrugged but obediently obliged and closed her eyes. She didn't even really know what she was doing, but she supposed it was more of a 'soul search' so to speak to find her magic. Which was confusing since she had no real idea of how to look for something that wasn't even physically there.

Or was it?

Magic, at least in the underground, was technically physically present. Wasn't it? It was more a matter of gathering it into a solid form. Or she supposed, at least.

But after nearly ten minutes of trying to find what was and yet was not physical, she opened her eyes and huffed in irritation, a large frown marring her face.

"I can't find anything" she grumbled, annoyed and disappointed that she had already failed. How the hell was she going to save everyone if she couldn't even use her magic?

Jareth chuckled and moved to kneel beside her.

"Don't give up just yet, precious. Your magic is in there somewhere, you just have to find the right technique to locate and then use it. What helped me when I started to use my magic was to try to focus on the very centre of myself, and then imagine something there. A string appeared there, inside me, and then I would imagine it threading through me and into my hands. Once it was in my hands I could imagine it taking on the form of what I desired it to be, and there it would be."

Sarah blinked, surprised to hear that even Jareth, who now was so adept at using magic that it was more natural than breathing for him, had had troubles conjuring it at one point in his life. But she supposed that she had just been being silly in the beginning, thinking down on herself for not getting the hang of it right away while two people stood here with her able to conjure whatever they pleased in the blink of an eye. Nobody was perfect and everyone required to train and make mistakes in order to get better, that was how things were learned, after all.

"Thank you, Jareth. That is incredibly helpful" Sarah smiled at him, turning back to the matter at hand when Jareth nodded at her.

_'Alright, now focus Sarah. You can do this. Focus on the center of yourself and try to imagine something being there, like a string like Jareth said. A string...string...there isn't any string...'_

Sarah frowned again but kept her eyes closed, not wanting to break her concentration in case she was close to finding her inner string.

"It's different for everyone. Just keep focusing on trying to find something physical and it will make its presence known to you, but you must keep searching for it, you must want to find it." Jareth advised, watching as Sarah's brows knitted together in deep concentration.

_'Here magic, magic, magic. Come to Sarah. C'mon! Come...oh, good grief! I can't even imagine something in my mind at all! Me! Sarah Williams! Having a total blank moment! All I see is darkness. Just total, complete and utter... *drip*'_

Sarah gasped and, if not for Jareth quickly placing a hand over her eyes, they would have flew open.

"No, Sarah. Don't open your eyes, keep concentrating. What did you see?"

Her hands, which had been laying in her lap, went to the grass beside her in an attempt to keep her semi grounded to the real world.

"Nothing. I don't see anything, just darkness. But...I heard..."

"What? What did you hear?" Jareth urged, removing his hand when he was sure that Sarah wouldn't open them.

"Water...a drop of water falling into a glass, maybe? I'm not sure, but it sounded kind of like an echo and glass tinkling at the same time...This is going to sound really weird, but I didn't hear it so much as I...felt it and heard it...at the same time.." Sarah tipped her head to the side, trying to explain the utterly odd sensation of having both felt and heard the noise.

Jareth smiled wide. "You're doing it, Sarah. Keep going, you've almost got it."

She searched the darkness again, trying desperately to pierce through it so that she might find the spot again where she.. _*drip*_

The sound echoed inside of her head and, oddly enough, came from somewhere in front of her. She willed her mind forward, probing gently in search of the sound, willing the magic to show itself to her.

And then, she saw it.

A glistening white drop of water hung suspended in the air slightly above her, and she watched transfixed as the small orb dropped slowly into a small bubble of water in front of her, making that beautiful tinkling sound as it hit, and made the bubble start glowing a soft white. The entire thing seemed to pulse lightly as she stared at it, completely mesmerized by the sight, and then it pulsed again, strongly this time, and the water rippled slightly.

Without really thinking about it she mentally reached out towards the bubble and ever so slightly, she touched it. It pulsed at her touch, and when it did, Sarah felt the most amazing feeling wash over her. It was as if the icy water ran straight through her entire being, cleansing her and making her tingle and break out in gooseflesh, and she shivered in the most delightful way at the sensation. It was damn near euphoric.

"Have you found it?" Titania questioned gently.

Sarah slowly opened her eyes, no longer afraid that she would if she did the magic would hide itself away again, and a smile formed on her lips.

"Yes. I think so. And it feels...wonderful. Like cold water rushing through me, but it's not cold, it's...well, refreshing and makes me feel awake and...alive.."

She turned to look at Jareth who was broadly grinning beside her. "I knew you could do it. Well done, Sarah" he praised her, to which she beamed up at him.

"The hard part is over, now you must learn to use it. You may rise now." Titania said, smiling down at her.

Sarah took Jareth's offered hand to help her to her feet and then eagerly looked to Titania for instructions, her previous anxiety all but forgotten in feat of the discovery of her magic.

"I do not wish to overwhelm you on your first day, so we will start with the very basics, something small that you can practice through the remainder of the day. Before you can start using your magic for defense and attack purposes, you must first learn how to use it at all. What I would like you to try, Sarah, is conjuring something small into your hand. Anything at all."

"You mean like a...brush? Or a glass? Something like that?"

Titania nodded. "Correct. Any inanimate object that you wish."

Sarah nodded slowly, raising one hand and looking at it. So...what? If she imagined the object in her hand it would appear? She imagined a tube of lipstick in her hand, how it would feel and the slight weight of it, and continued to stare at her palm. But nothing happened. She glared at her empty palm and tried again.

"Remember what I said, Sarah. You must 'thread' your magic through you and pool it into your hands, when this is accomplished, _then_ try to imagine the object there" Jareth said gently.

Sarah smiled gratefully at his suggestion, and was about to close her eyes and locate her magic once more, when Titania spoke up.

"The process requires all of your concentration Sarah, it will take all of your will power and determination to focus your magic into your hands and then use it to make it appear. We will leave you be for now so that you may practice in peace, and will come and fetch you when lunch is served. But keep this warning in mind, using your magic will take a toll on your energy as well, so do not over exert yourself. Rest when you feel the need and then try again when you are feeling up to it. Alright?"

She nodded. "Yes, I understand. Thank you, your highness. I shall try my best."

"Come, Jareth. Let us leave young Sarah to her training" Titania said as she walked past him.

"If you need anything, all you need to do is call to me and I will be here" he told her, grinning when she shyly smiled and thanked him.

He took a step towards her and lifted her chin up with his index finger, gazing into her eyes as he spoke.

"I am very proud of you, Sarah." he said in a near whisper, his voice soft and almost a caress.

"Thank you, that means a lot to me." she whispered back, her small smile growing.

He leaned forward to kiss her forehead, lingering for just a moment, before he smiled down at her once more and then turned to leave.

Sarah felt the rush of heat that invaded her cheeks but decided that, since she was alone, she would bask in his praise and affection rather than try to get away from it. Besides, his praise of her efforts only made her more determined to get the hang of using her magic, if only to hear him praising her again.

She giggled at her last thought, wondering if the world had tipped on its axis ever so slightly, and she had ended up in Wonderland, where wrong was right and right was wrong. If someone had told her that she would be focusing all of her energy into trying to impress the Goblin King, she would have laughed hysterically in their face and called them certifiably crazy.

However, here she was, trying to accomplish just that.

She shook her head as she sat back in the grass and tried to relax once more, things certainly had changed for her, that was for sure. But not in a negative way. Indeed, she found that she was rather enjoying herself here, seeing everything in a sparkly new light and now able to enjoy the place. Were things perfect? Hell no! Life was never perfect. But she would train hard and protect both worlds that were a part of her, so that she, along with countless others, may have the chance to pursue the things in life that made them happy and seem as if life were indeed, perfect.

_'Well, come on magic, we've a long road ahead of us and it will be even longer if I just sit here and stare into space._

She opened her hand and held her palm out in front of her, trying to imagine a small glass just appearing in her hand. She stared blankly at her hand for several minutes with no results at all, and she pursed her lips in annoyance. Why couldn't she do it? She knew she had magic, she had felt it only a scant ten minutes ago, like icy water coursing through her veins. So why the hell couldn't she use it?

Then a thought occurred to her. Maybe she would have to look inside herself for her magic again and, while it was still fresh, attempt to use it then. It made sense and she felt a little perturbed at herself for thinking that this process would come as easily to herself as a normal fae. How silly!

_'It's probably just because I'm trying to impress Titana and Jareth.' _

She sighed heavily. She had to do something with this infatuation she had with the Goblin King, or else she feared that she'd get no where with her magic, or her life for that matter. She just didn't know _what_ exactly to do about it. The relationship they had was shaky at best, a budding friendship that was fragile and easily broken. Not long ago her vision of him was a sneaky villain, and in an even shorter time span she had her vision altered and completely tipped. They were no where near anything romantic, no matter how she physically was reacting to him and his presence.

But it worried her somewhat that her mind would go utterly blank when he was near, her heart rate would speed up, butterflies would dive and somersault in her intestines, and she damn well knew she at least flushed when he was around. All the logic she would spend hours carefully going over and over in her head was just thrown out the window when she was with him, leaving her feeling like a stuttering and foolish school girl with a dirty little crush that she would spend countless hours writing page after page about him in her diary.

_'Grow up, Sarah! Your an adult and should start acting as one. Besides, you should be focusing on the task at hand, not on your feelings towards Jareth. There will be plenty of time for that after you save everyone from the apocolypse.' _

Another heavy sigh escaped Sarah's lips as she tried to wrestle the image of the mysterious Goblin King from her mind and replace it with trying to focus on her attention on finding her magic once again.

_'Of all the ridiculous moments to be horribly attracted to him. Couldn't it have happened at a more opportune time? Like when I didn't have such a huge weight on my shoulders, the weight of many lives, too many to even count. Stupid Goblin King and his charming ways and mischievous smirk and rich scent...Stop it already! Focus!'_

She screwed her eyes shut and tried to look to her inner self to find her magic, making sure to remind herself of the task at hand and just what was at stake, and making a small mental note to review her confusing feelings about a certain blonde haired fae later on.

It took her another ten minutes of concentrating to locate her magic again, and she fought to hold onto the icy tingling sensation that was her magic and when she felt she had a relatively good grip on it she held out her hand palm up in front of her and tried to put her magic into it. But it wouldn't budge from her middle no matter how much she willed it to transfer into her palms, and she growled, just barely keeping a lid on her temper.

She knew that her magic could be moved and she knew that she could move it, using her mind to gently nudge it and push it around her. That was an even more odd sensation than the magic making itself known in her veins, this was a feeling that felt kind of like she had downed a cold glass of water and could feel it sloshing around in her belly. But unlike real water that would slip through her fingers if she tried to hold it, with her mind she could lift and even slightly mould the water into shapes. It took her a little bit to get the hang of using her mind to picture picking up a handful of water and using it like clay, but eventually she was able to make a small wobbly ball, roughly the size of a volleyball. It took another little while to keep the ball in shape and keep it from collapsing in on itself. The trick, she discovered after much prodding and poking, was to lightly apply even pressure around the ball.

She used her mind to push her magic 'ball' ahead of her, towards the front of her where her hands were, and once again tried to will it into her hands.

Once again, she failed.

She huffed indignantly and in a moment of anger, forcefully shoved her magic ahead of her, hoping it would burst just to ease her frustration level. But something she didn't expect happened when she shoved her magic, instead of it shattering into a million tiny pieces, it seemed to absorb into the blackness ahead of it. An icy tingle swept partially through Sarah's chest and she gasped slightly, her skin breaking out in gooseflesh at the sensation.

_'That's it!' _She crowed. _ 'That's how I get the magic from my chest into my hands, I need to push it through me, from the inside out into my hands. That's what Jareth meant when he said to 'thread' it into my hands!'_

She immediately got to the task of gathering more of her magic together into a ball so that she could get used to guiding in through her body to her hands, but she was having more trouble than usual forming her ball. And when she finally managed to make the ball appear, it would collapse and burst minutes later. She frowned and was about to try again when she realized that her chest was heaving and her hands were shaking slightly, and then it made sense to her. She needed a break.

_'And just when I was getting good at it, too' _she pouted, opening her eyes and getting to her feet.

That was a mistake.

She swayed slightly on her feet, her eyes unfocusing slightly, and she grabbed onto a nearby tree for support. Her dizziness faded after a couple minutes but she held fast to the tree trunk, not really wanting to test just how solid the ground was. She waited until she felt more steady before she attempted to move again, and chose to sit back down while she rested.

She stretched her legs out in front of her and leaned back on her hands, tilting her head to watch a couple clouds trek lazily across the sky. If not for the dusting of magical glitter on the tree's and stones, the wild inhabitants, and a very impressive labyrinth that surrounded the immediate area, she might have thought that she was back in the Aboveground. Maybe at the park, sitting under the large willow tree next to the pond where the swans swam each spring, thinking about her ordinary life and how she sometimes craved the adventure that she once had as a teenager.

Her thoughts drifted to her family then, and she wondered how they were all fairing. Were they okay? Did they notice her absence? Did they wonder where she was, whether or not she was alive or not? What would they do once they couldn't find her?

A frown crinkled her lips, and she pulled herself forward, pulled her legs to her chest and sat her forehead on her knee's. She hated the knowledge that she would be causing them unnecessary stress and anxiety, especially since the events were traumatic enough as it was. How she wished that she could send them a message somehow, let them know that she was safe and happy and protected.

A smile tugged at her lips at that last thought. Was she happy here? Really? She had only been her for a few days, and had constant revelations and bombs dropped on her since she had arrived. Not to mention the nightmares that had started. She cocked her head to the side for a moment in thought, and then smiled as a very sure voice told her that yes, she really was happy here. Despite certain circumstances, she found herself to be oddly at peace within the Underground, and in the back of her mind a voice questioned whether or not she was always destined to end up here.

That brought the appearances of Duane and Melantha, respectively, to her mind.

Her lips quirked back into a frown. She still needed to try to learn all that she could on those two, she needed all the information that she could get. She didn't know why or how, but deep down she felt that they were both up to no good. Just thinking about them made shivers run up and down Sarah's spine and made her stomach lurch uncomfortably, no, they were defintaltey up to something.

She closed her eyes and sucked in a breath of fresh air through her nose, mentally shooing all her nasty thoughts to the furthest and darkest corners of her mind, and slowly got to her feet.

_'I think I fancy a short stroll around the goblin city, get the blood flowing, clear my head, see the sights, and whatever else is in between.'_

With her mind made up she started for the castle, trying to remember the few turns that they had made earlier that day, as well as looking for a goblin to show her the way out to the goblin city.

_'Geeze, I can't wait until I get more familiar with this place. It's such a hassle never knowing quite where I am, and always having to stop for directions at every turn.' _she groused, eyes scanning the empty hallways for signs of life.

"Oh, why isn't there ever a goblin when I need one? When I didn't want them they were always underfoot, and now that I need one, there isn't even one in sight." Sarah complained, holding her hand to the wall as she checked around a corner.

_'Not that way, dear. Go left.'_

She blinked and turned her head up and down the hallways, and then turned to look behind her. But there wasn't a single soul in sight.

Hand still firmly on the wall, she called out. "Hello? Is someone there?"

_'Hello, Sarah Williams.' _a feminine voice, seemingly from no where, greeted her politely.

Sarah backed up so that her back was flush against the wall as she scanned the area around her, looking for the source of the voice.

"Who's there?"

Instead of the voice answering her like she had expected, a sudden pulse of what she suspected to be magic swept through the wall and straight into her. She gasped and swung around, looking intently at the stones in the wall. She didn't know quite what to expect when she turned around. Maybe a face carved into the stone like down through the corridors of the oubliette, though she had seen nothing when she had passed, she knew that didn't mean there was nothing there.

But the stones behind her held no faces or anything, not even any traces of cracks were present in the stones. They were just...stones. Nothing more.

_'No.' she thought idly, 'Nothing is really as it seems here. But...I don't see anything...'_

Her fingers traced the lines where the blocks were sealed together as she thought, and another wave of magic pulsed through the stones and straight up her arm. She wrenched her arm away from the stones and backed up a couple of paces, watching the wall with great interest. She noticed that where her fingers had been a small ripple had formed in the wall, and that unlike last time when the pulse had faded quickly, it seemed to linger this time, beckoning to her.

She continued to stare at the wall for a few more moments before deciding that if it was something that meant her harm, it probably would have done so when she had her back to the wall, for it had after all been the perfect opportunity to strike and she would have never seen it coming. So, gathering her courage, she stepped forward and reached out her hand, holding it before the wall for a single minute before sucking in a quick breath and slapped her hand to the stones.

Her hand tingled with the sensation of magic as it crawled across the flesh of her hand, an odd but not altogether unpleasant experience, actually. She wondered what exactly the source of the magic could be and why it seemed to be reaching out to her, when the voice suddenly spoke again.

_'You are as curious as you were the first time you came to the Underground, I see. But I also sense the changes you have made since your absence, as well as your magic, small and tender like a small sapling just starting to reach towards the Heavens. Many things are coming to a head in the Underground, and you must prepare quickly for them, for they will not wait for you.'_

"Who are you?" Sarah asked softly.

_'I, my dear, have no name like you have. But to answer your question, I am the Labyrinth.'_

"..The...Labyrinth..." she wondered aloud, her brows creasing. "You mean, as in the castle and the Labyrinth that surrounds it? **THE**Labyrinth?"

The voice chuckled. _'Indeed. Or, more precisely, the magic that resides within the Labyrinth.'_

"I...I don't believe it..." Sarah stuttered, sliding down to sit on the floor while careful to maintain contact with the wall. "You're, I mean, the Labyrinth is...alive?"

_'I am. I exist in every part of the Goblin Kingdom, though my 'heart', if you will, is in the castle, my 'arms' and 'legs' extend to the rest of the Goblin Kingdom. They flow through the bricks and through the ground, into water and through the tree's, and from the tree's, into the very air you breathe.'_

A sudden memory flashed in Sarah's mind. She was trying to find her way through the Labyrinth, bending down every now and again to mark her way with her red lipstick before continuing on her journey. She had just marked her arrow and walked a few paces before she realized that it was nothing but a dead end in front of her, and so with a sigh, she turned around to re-mark her arrow when she noticed that it was already facing the wrong way. She bent down to inspect the arrow closer, and anger suddenly boiled hot in her veins. Someone was changing her marks!

"What a horrible place this is! It's not fair!" she had screamed, throwing her tube of lipstick to the ground and stood glaring at the red arrow marked on the stone.

"You're right, it's not fair." A voice agreed from behind her, before a chorus of voices started cackling.

She whipped around to stare at two pair's of...what were they exactly? She recalled they sort of reminded her of the Pink Panther off of tv... sort of. Each pair had a head poking out of each the top and bottom of a sheild, and though she could see feet on the ground, she didn't see a second pair of feet poking out the sides near the top. Perhaps they were connected in the middle and the shield's were to conceal the connection in the middle? She had no clue, they were very curious beings for sure, and they were still cackling at her. She frowned.

"This was a dead end a moment ago" she stated, looking curiously at them.

"No, that's the dead end behind you!" one informed her, and they all started laughing again as she turned back around to find that they were right.

"You're the reason the Labyrinth keeps changing, aren't you?" she questioned.

_'Indeed I am. You are a quick learner, even more so than before.' _

Sarah could hear the smile in the voice, and couldn't help but smile at the wall.

"Well, I have to say that it's actually quite comforting to know that even if I'm alone here, I'm never really alone. Especially when nobody is around to give me directions" Sarah chuckled.

_'Ah, yes, you were taking a break from training, as I recall. Headed to the goblin city, correct?'_

"Yes, that's right."

_'Take a left here and then a right, and you will come to a set of doors that lead to a small set of stairs. Go down the stairs and then take a right through the hallway, and you will find yourself in the kitchen. There is a door at the back that leads to a small courtyard, which has a path leading to the goblin city.'_

"Thank you" Sarah smiled, trying to memorize the directions she had been given.

_'It is no trouble at all, Sarah. And remember, I am everywhere, should you ever need me. For now you will need to make direct contact to the walls to communicate with me, but as your magic grows stronger, the need for a conductor will fade.'_

She nodded "I understand, thanks again."

She stood and started to make her way through the hallways while the directions were still fresh in her mind, chanting them over and over again in her mind as she walked, taking care to step lighter on the stones so as to not harm the Labyrinth.

She shook her head slightly, her mind still reeling, though maybe not as much as she thought it should, considering the fact that the walls just made contact with her. The Labyrinth was alive! Of all the things she had learned since returning to the Underground, this certainly was one of the most surprising things. She supposed that it was the fact that she was so open to the magic and fantasy in the first place that her shock was less than she thought it should be upon learning that the castle was speaking to her, because after all, she _was_ in a very magical place filled to the brim with different magical creatures and such.

_'Actually, it might really come in handy to be able to communicate with the castle like this. I mean, it would be able to locate anyone in the Goblin Kingdom for me, like Jareth or Titania...or Duane...Hmm, now that is quite an ingenious idea, I'll always be able to keep tabs on that sneaky little rat! Plus, if I know where exactly he is, I can stay well out of his path. There's no way that I want to get any where near him unless I absolutely have to!'_

She shivered. That man gave her goosebumps, and most definatley not in the same way that Jareth did, either. Duane was creepy and gave her a look that made her feel as if he were undressing her with his eyes, trying to devour her soul and all. She shivered again and brought her arms around herself, the damn man made her uncomfortable even when he was no where near her! Yes, she would very much like to stay very far away from him.

Finally, Sarah reached the doors at the back of the kitchen area, having greeted the cooks and staff on her way through, and was finally entering the goblin city. She smiled as she wandered around the houses, memories of ducking away from cannonballs and running away from knights on miniature dinosaurs (or at least that's what they reminded her of.) Everything was as it was when she had managed to sneak in that day, though this time there were goblins rushing all around her, as well as the occasional chicken or two.

More often than not the goblins that would pass her by would give her a friendly greeting, to which she pleasantly returned, and then carried on their merry way. She wished that she could tell all the people back in the Aboveground how goblin's truly acted instead of the way they were often depicted in story books, often made out to be stupid or evil creatures. They weren't the brightest little creatures, that was true, but they weren't truly stupid. And neither were they evil. Cunning, devious, mischievous. Most certainly. But not evil. She wanted people to know that they were sorely mistaken about the characters of the goblins, and it seemed a real shame that they would only ever think poorly of them.

To be honest, Sarah was rather fond of the little goblins. They were loud and they simple minded, and didn't have the best hygiene, but they were sweet in their own way. Maybe she just felt that way because she had been around them for a good portion of her life, and these days she was getting to know them better. She shrugged. Not that it really mattered anyway, for the goblins would be in her life from now on whether she liked them or not. Them and their king.

She wandered aimlessly through the streets as her thoughts once more turned to Jareth, and yet another sigh passed her lips. Why couldn't she just have normal relationships like other people? Really, was that too much to ask?

_'Of course it is' _she thought almost bitterly. _'Instead I have a some sort of barely there relationship with a guy that only a couple of days ago I couldn't stand. Can I even call it a relationship? Not really. It's more of a friendship. Though, I'm pretty sure he wants more than that, if his actions are any indication. But, do I? Do I want a real relationship with him?'_

She frowned slightly as she thought, weaving around the goblins in her path, not really paying attention to where she was going but content just to walk as she thought.

She knew she was attracted to Jareth, physically at the very least, she could not deny that. The realization wasn't a new one, exactly; it would be a lie to say she'd never once thought of him in that way. But was there an attraction there aside from his looks? Was there more than a nice physical exterior? She just wasn't sure yet, and knew it was because she didn't really know Jareth at all. There was no friendship to base any other relationship on.

_'I guess there isn't anything other than the physical attraction then. ...Yet, anyway. The rest remains to be seen. Just take things one step at a time, build a firm and solid friendship based on mutual trust, respect and understanding and see where things go from there. If all else fails, at least you will have your friendship to fall back on.'_

She smiled, satisfied that she was finally getting somewhere with her emotional turmoil where Jareth was concerned. She hated when her emotional balance was upset, because it threw everything else of kilter as well, and it just made everything harder for her. But now that things were balanced back out, a course of action set firmly into place, all was well in the world again.

Well, not really. But at least she could concentrate half ass decent again. It was getting rather aggravating to try to focus on a task at hand, only to be distracted when thoughts or images of Jareth popped randomly into her brain, flying around her head like annoying insects that she couldn't successfully swat.

The proverbial bug swatted for the time being, she decided that she had had enough of a walk about and turned back towards the castle, softly humming as she ventured back through the hoards of goblins. She reached the doors to the kitchen and placed her hand on the handle, about to open the door, when a sudden jolt shot through her hand and up her arm, and she yelped in surprise.

_'Quickly, Sarah, you must take cover in the bushes. I will conceal your magical signature, but you must hide, NOW!'_

The Labyrinth's voice filled Sarah with anxiety. Hide? From what? Or who? She stood frozen to the spot, momentarily stunned.

_'Hurry!' _the voiced urged her. _'Into the bushes!'_

Her brain finally caught up with her and she whirled around and darted towards a large bush, wincing as the branches poked and stabbed and grabbed at her hair, but too panicked to give it much of any thought as she huddled down as best she could. The now familiar tingle of the Labyrinth's magic crept over her body not a minute too soon, as a scant moment later the door that Sarah had just been in front of opened, and out walked Duane.

She struggled to keep as still as possible as she watched him saunter slowly down the path, a cocky smile on his face, and right in front of the bush she was currently hiding in. She held her breath, fearful of making any sort of noise lest she attract unwanted attention, and watched him go by. A light reflected off of something he held in his hand as it swung back and fourth, and she leaned forward a bit trying to get a closer look at it.

From her vantage point, it looked to be a small glass tube, filled with some sort of liquid. It could have been a brown liquid, but she couldn't be sure from where she was, having only had a small glimpse of it. She narrowed her eyes as they followed Duane on his trek down the dirt pathway and out of sight, immediately suspicious of the contents of the container in his hand. What exactly was it, and what did he intend to do with it? And furthermore, what was he doing lurking about the castle grounds? She really didn't think that Jareth would allow him to just waltz around the Goblin Kingdom as he pleased, or at least not without some sort of spy tailing him.

And speak of the devil. Moments after Duane disappeared through the courtyard towards the goblin city, a tiny goblin crept after him, hiding behind various plants and objects, keeping his beady little eyes trained on Duane's retreating figure as it followed diligently after him. Sarah smiled at the creature.

_'Add loyal to the list of redeeming qualities of goblins'_

She stayed put for another few minutes just to make sure that the coast was clear before she crawled out of the bush, straightening out her clothes and brushing out the odd twig and leaf that caught in her hair. She quickly made her way to the door, through the kitchens and to the hallway before she reached out a hand to the wall.

"Thank you for warning me about Duane, that could have been a disaster had I bumped into him"

_'Be cautious of that man, Sarah. Though his magic has been sealed, it does not mean that he is without power. Do not trust him, and do not let yourself be left alone with him.'_

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that. I don't trust him one bit. I get the feeling that he's up to something, but I don't know what, and nor can I prove it. It's just my gut instinct"

_'Your instincts are sharp, do not ignore them, trust them. They will prove to be your greatest asset'_

"By the way, I saw him carrying a small vial with some sort of liquid inside. Do you have any idea what it might have been?"

_'No. Though I am everywhere, there are things that can be hidden from even me, if one knows how to do so. Apparently he is privy to such information, though I know not how'_

She hated that man. Truly and utterly hated. Whatever it was that he had she was pretty sure that it was nothing good, and the horrible thing was that the possibilities were nearly endless, given that she had no idea what was inside of the vial. Perhaps she could ask to visit Avalon in the next day or two and visit the library that she had heard about, hopefully there would be some answers to her questions in one of the books there.

But for now the crisis had been adverted and she felt herself finally relax.

_'His Majesty is headed towards the courtyard where he left you to train previously' _

Sarah couldn't help the small smile that played on her lips. "Thank you. I hope it's time for lunch, I'm starving." she said mostly to herself.

_'Will you inform His Majesty of the latest happenings with Duane?'_

"Do you think I should? I mean, he hasn't technically done anything wrong. Besides that, I don't want to screw up a possible allegiance with the Troll Kingdom just because I'm paranoid and suspicious. It could be nothing at all."

_'If that is what you wish. Shall I continue to keep him under surveillance for you?'_

"I would greatly appreciate that. I intend to travel to Avalon within the next couple of days to do some research on the Troll Kingdom as well as the Elves, I need to gather as much information as I can if my hunches are correct about Duane and Melantha. I must know what I am dealing with."

_'I understand, and will help you in any way necessary. Now then, His Majesty has arrived in the courtyard and is seeking your whereabouts.'_

"Alright, thank you again, for everything." Sarah smiled as she let the palm of her hand fall away from the wall before she continued on her way towards Jareth, mentally sorting through her day so far as she walked.

There was so much for her to learn and she had very little time in which to try to absorb all she needed before it was too late, the thought was quite intimidating and it towered over her ominously. She found herself almost wishing for the good old days when the most pressing matters were helping young students with their homework, and she would spend her evenings in her cozy little home, have quiet dinners and where she would end her days in her luxurious bed.

_'Oh well, at least I'm never bored'_ she grinned to herself at her thought. Bored? Here? Never. Somehow she had the feeling that the fates would never allow her to feel bored ever again, not if they had their way, at least. There would probably always be mischief of some kind or another following her around and pestering her to no end, and oddly enough, the thought was down right appealing.

She knew that Jareth intended for her to spend the rest of her life in the Underground, or in the Labyrinth, to be specific, but she was fairly certain that should she truly wish to go back to the Aboveground that he would not stand in her way. He wanted her to be happy, and should going back home and leave him behind make her happy, then he would set her free. She didn't know for certain, and she could just be being naive and putting him on a pedestal that he didn't deserve, but she just had a feeling in the pit of her stomach.

_'Perhaps it's gas?' _

She snorted and chuckled. Lighter conversation over a nice lunch was definatley overdue before her brain fried itself to a crisp, which wasn't too far away judging by her random thoughts. Gas, indeed! Her gut feelings had saved her backside more times than she could count, thank you very much. It was mostly her gut feelings that got her through the Labyrinth the first time around, and it had only sharpened from there on in, proving to be invaluable on nearly a day to day basis.

But back to her original train of thought. Jareth wanted her happiness and would let her go back home, but when she thought of returning back home in a permanent manner, she felt rather sad. It was weird to think that maybe, just maybe, she really wanted to spend the remainder of her days in the Underground, going back home only to visit occasionally.

_'This place really grows on you, I suppose. I just can't imagine leaving here again for an extended period of time. Weird...'_

"Ah, there you are Sarah. I was looking for you"

Sarah blinked at him. Had she arrived at the courtyard already? She hadn't even been paying attention to where she was headed, she had been so absorbed in her thoughts.

_'Good thing my legs knew where I wanted to go' _she thought idly, smiling sheepishly at Jareth.

"Yah, I'm sorry if I worried you at all. I just was talking a break and decided to walk through the goblin city"

"It is no trouble, precious" he winked playfully at her. "Did you enjoy your walk?"

Sarah nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes. My memories of it were kind of blurry because I had rushed through it, so I'm glad to have had the opportunity to take a slower look around this time. I can't wait until I get to do the same with the rest of the Labyrinth"

Jareth walked to stand beside Sarah and offered his arm to her, which she took, and smiled down at her.

"Soon I will be able to give you the grand tour of my Labyrinth, Sarah. But first I must come to a decision on what to do about the Troll King's offer, but after that, you will have my undivided attention."

She fought back the blush that she could feel burning her cheeks and managed to smile up at him.

"Why don't you agree to it? I mean, rejecting the offer could potentially start a war and considering the whole prophecy aspect of things, I doubt a war would be agreeable to either party at this point. Besides, what harm could it do? Though I do recall something about them not having a very friendly attitude towards goblins and were quite untrustworthy, but at this point wouldn't the the betrayal be the lesser of two evils?"

"You are correct. To be betrayed by the Troll King is the least of our problems, although not as smart as other beings in the Underground, trolls have been known to be quite cunning to get what they want. What worries me is why Lord Malakili suddenly wants to strike a truce between the two kingdoms, what advantage could that bring to him? Though I feel as if he's just looking for an excuse to traipse around my kingdom without fear of being caught as an outsider, even if he is the lord of the Troll Kingdom, trespassing on the Goblin Kingdom gives me the right to punish him as I see fit."

"You think he's looking for something?"

Jareth nodded. "I do. Nothing else makes sense to me for the sudden change of heart to so suddenly desire a truce with the Goblin Kingdom, even if war were to break out. Trolls are a strong and sturdy creatures full of brute strength, so the only advantage to having a truce with me is the mental capacity to plan strategic war moves. There is no threat of war, as far as my knowledge goes, so the only other thing I can think of would be that we would have gained each others permission to come and go as we please to each others kingdom's for treaty's and the like."

Sarah brought her hand to her chin as she thought about Jareth's words. "I wonder what he could possibly be looking for here in the Goblin Kingdom? What could you have that he would want?" she wondered aloud.

"I've no idea as of yet, but I intend to find out. Though Lord Malakili has never given me a direct reason to mistrust him, I cannot help but question his motives."

_'I know exactly how you feel, Jareth' _she thought, a picture of Duane and Melantha popping into her brain. She didn't know them at all really, so she had no right to not trust them, except for her instincts that is.

"I think I shall take your advice, Sarah, and agree to a truce with Lord Malakili and take things as they come from there. War is something we do not need hanging over our heads at the moment, and as long as I can keep a watchful eye on them while they are in my kingdom, perhaps I can find whatever it is that they are searching for before they do."

She beamed up at him and he grinned back at her, and then patted the hand that she had placed on her arm.

"Now then, enough of such heavy topics. Let us go to lunch and speak of how your training has progressed since this afternoon, shall we?"

"Sounds like a very good idea to me, Jareth. A very good idea, indeed."

AN: So, I've managed to squeeze out another chapter. Woohoo! Good? Bad? Idea's? Suggestions? Let me know! Always happy to have feedback =)


	14. Chapter 14

The impatient tapping of Jareth's boot upon the stone floors were all that sounded in the empty throne room. He had earlier sent a summons for Duane to give him his final answer, so that he could finally return to the Troll Kingdom. It had been fully a week since he had suddenly appeared in the Labyrinth, and the Goblin King, his head resting on a hand as he continued with the steady tapping rhythm, couldn't wait to have that little snot off of his lands.

From the ramblings that he had gotten from Schwick, Duane had mostly stayed inside of the cabin where Jareth had placed him, only venturing outside two or three times. Yet it was the 'two or three' times that worried Jareth, as apparently Schwick would loose sight of him for only a moment only to see him wandering around quite a few paces ahead of him. Though the most peculiar thing was that Schwick swore, on threat of even a bogging, that Duane's scent had changed. Not by much, mind you, but enough to make the little goblin question it. It was a curious thing, but he put it in the deeper part of his mind, as he had no actual evidence that Duane had stepped out of line in any way.

He would agree to the alliance with the Troll Kingdom, though he did not exactly like it, only because it seemed the wisest course of action available to him. To deny Lord Malakili would be a great insult and most likely start a war, which he did not need at the present time. Nor at any time, actually, but certainly not at a time when Sarah was in the midst of being trained in order to defend The Underground and Aboveground.

No. A truce would be for the greater good, and hopefully there were only honest intentions behind it.

He hoped.

He came out of his thoughts when the doors suddenly swung open and Duane, at last, made his appearance, strutting confidently to the foot of the stairs that held Jareth and his throne, and bended to one knee with his head down.

Though he could not see Duane's face, Jareth was certain of the small grin plastered on his lips, his entire being spoke of over-confidence. But a small smile erupted on Jareth's own face as he thought that this boys overly stuffed ego would most likely get him into a rather sticky situation where his confidence would be of no aid to him.

Wiping his face of any emotions, Jareth spoke at last.

"Rise, Duane."

He did as he was told and rose to his feet, raised his gaze to Jareth's and continued to remain silent.

'Impudent little snot though he may be, at least he still has some manners' Jareth thought.

"I have come to a conclusion for Lord Malakili. As he as outstretched his hand to the Goblin Kingdom in the name of peace, I, King Jareth, accept his offer of brotherhood. I have signed the treaty and now offer it to you to take back to Lord Malakili. May your journey be safe and swift, and may the treaty find Lord Malakili in good health."

Jareth stood and descended the few steps from the throne and held out the rolled up parchment, now emblazoned with the symbol of the Goblin Kingdom, to Duane.

He accepted it with a nod of his head. "Very good, your majesty. Lord Malakili will be very pleased of your answer, and I shall take my leave within the hour so as to let you get back to your rulings. I offer my sincere gratitude that you have allowed my presence within your kingdom, and pray that you have a long and mighty rule."

He then offered his hand to Jareth in what was supposed to be only good manners from a guest within the hosts lands, but Jareth rather suspected that it was false. Nonetheless Jareth reached out a gloved hand to accept Duane's, shook it roughly once, then retracted it. All the while he had to suppress the sneer that was trying to break the calm facade of his features.

Duane, seemingly amused, nodded his head once more before turning on his boot and leaving the throne room.

After the throne room doors clicked soundly, Schwick stuck his head out from around the corner of the throne, blinking his large yellow eyes at the spot Duane had been not moments before.

"Schwick follow, Majesty?" he asked, coming to stand beside his king and looking back and fourth between him and the doors.

A moment of silence passed before Jareth inclined his head. "Yes. And once he leaves, gather Spittle, Quark and Crummis to investigate the guest cottage near the western gardens where Lord Duane was staying. If anything is amiss, I want to be informed immediately."

The little goblin nodded his head. "Yes, Your Majesty! Schwick understands!" he said before scurrying off to do his king's bidding.

'One problem down. Now, next on the agenda was ... Oh yes! Sarah has already begun her training with Mother, and I wanted a front row seat to watch her progress.'

A predatory smirk appeared on his face as he made his way out of the throne room and into the many halls of his castle and through the familiar corridors, his eyes shining with the contentment that he felt. Having Sarah back in the Labyrinth and them actually getting along was a dream that he once thought he would never see realized, a mere fantasy of his imagination. But luck seemingly was on his side as they were getting along better than he could have ever hoped for, and though there was a great threat looming in the distance, he could scarcely be bothered to care. As long as Sarah was near, he was a content man.

Sarah never ceased to amaze and fascinate him, her wild imagination, thirst for knowledge, quick wit and cunningness drew him to her like moths to a flame. She had been right that day when she told him that he had no power over her, for it was quite the other way around. It was she that held great power over him. At one time he had thought he had made his feelings and intentions quite clear to her, he thought that she knew just how much power she actually had over him. But he was mistaken.

Fueled by desperation he had bound her to him, which in retrospect was probably not the wisest move he had ever made, but his heart shattered at the thought of loosing her. Somewhat pacified by the knowledge that she would return one day he had allowed her to return to the Aboveground, until such a time that he deemed fit for her return. More than once he had wavered in his resolve to break the spell that bound her to him, to just let her forget the Labyrinth and its king and live a normal life in the Aboveground.

But he was a selfish man and could never bring himself to break the only connection that he had left to her, couldn't bear the thoughts of her never returning. Though neither could he force himself to activate the magical bond and bring her back to him against her will, for she would only think worse of him for it.

But then it had all been taken out of his hands and she was returned to him without him forcing his hand, and he was both elated and quite anxious about the entire ordeal. They had never really seen eye to eye, and his mischievous nature only seemed to confuse and infuriate her. But he held hope that she had had the chance to grow and blossom in the years since her departure from the Underground, and certainly she had, in more ways than one.

Jareth smiled and mentally praised whatever Gods there were that deemed him fit to a second chance to obtain Sarah's heart, and have her return his feelings in kind. Minus the whole prophecy bit, things were going swimmingly. They had only slightly argued before coming to an understanding of sorts, and though she did not quite return his affections, neither did she shun them.

But he understood that she needed time to deal with all the changes that had occurred, needed time to figure out if she wanted him as much as he wanted her, or if he was doomed to be but a valuable friend to her forever. While he quite detested the idea of it he would rather be at her side as a companion rather than loose her altogether, better to have something rather than nothing at all.

Ah. But he was getting ahead of himself. She hadn't decided yet. There was still hope to have her as his queen, Duane was finally gone, and there was training to be had.

'And it's just going on noon. So far the day is proving to be quite lovely, let's just hope nothing spoils it.'

"Concentrate Sarah, you've almost got it." Titania encouraged, a wide smile set on her lips as a faint outline of a handheld mirror appeared in the palm of Sarah's hands in front of her. Sarah's magic was very close to its destination now, probably just around her elbows. It would only be a matter of whether Sarah would pass out from exhaustion before she could successfully get it into her hands.

Sarah squashed her eyelids together as she concentrated, a thin film of sweat appearing on her brow as she tried to push her magic from her center, through her arms and into her hands. It was a tedious process, and therefore a slow one, but she was nothing if not stubborn and determined.

The slow trickle of magic up her arm made her skin break out in gooseflesh, and on more than one occasion, the sensation had distracted her well enough for her concentration to break and her magic slipped back down to pool in her center, leaving her annoyed and more than a little exhausted for her efforts.

But she barely noticed it now, so deep in concentration was she.

She had been warned that the first time for the magic to be channeled through her would be the worst, as she had to open 'channel's, so to speak, for the magic to run through firstly. And the only way to open these channel's, was to force the magic through her. She rather thought of these channel's as veins in her body, special networks for her magic to flow through. At the moment, they were clogged and sealed shut, having no prior use. But now she was attempting to open and clear the pathways so that her magic could run more freely.

It would take a while for her not to have to use so much concentration to use her magic, even with the passages open and clear, but it would run a lot more smoothly after this.

'C,mon...c'mon! I've only got a bit farther left!' she chanted to herself, her breath coming out in short huffs as she continued on her task.

Slowly but surely she managed to open the channel's around her elbow's, and was now coming up the rest of her arms. She was so terribly close! She shut her mind off to everything else but the task at hand, focusing only on the now very short distance between her elbows and her hands.

Jareth chose that moment to wander silently into view, looking from where Sarah sat in the middle of the courtyard to where his mother stood to her side, watching with pride as Sarah attempted to complete the first phase of her training.

He decided to hang back for the moment, not wanting to disrupt such a crucial part of the process. Any noise or sensation may very well distract her and make her restart her progress, and would not bode very well for any points he may have earned in the past few days. For now he was content to watch from a distance, smiling peacefully as once again he felt just how content he had become since her arrival.

At last, with a final grunt of exertion, Sarah's magic finally opened the last bit of the blocked channel and pooled freely into her hand, creating a small bronze antique looking mirror.

"You've done it, Sarah! Look!" Titania exclaimed happily, bending down to affectionately rub Sarah's now slumped shoulders.

She opened tired but happy eyes to look at the small mirror in her hands, and couldn't help the tiny sob of relief from escaping her lips. Shifting the mirror slightly and looking into its glassy surface, Sarah was only mildly surprised to find Jareth's smiling face looking back at her.

Turning around, she felt her excitement overpower her fatigue, and smiled broadly at him.

"Look, Jareth! I've done it! I've actually done it! I've made something with my very own magic!"

He walked the rest of the distance to her, steadying her when she got up on wobbly legs, and returned her smile.

"Well done, Sarah. I told you that you could do it."

Too happy to think about anything other than her accomplishment, Sarah threw her arms around Jareth's neck and buried her face into his chest.

"I did it. I really did it." she whispered, smiling as she felt him return her embrace.

"I knew you could." He murmured into her hair. "After all, it was no ordinary mortal woman who could have solved my Labyrinth."

She chuckled tiredly as she disentangled herself from him, though she left her hands clasped in his and continued to smile broadly up at him. Her joy at her success was nearly doubled as she saw Jareth's pride in her reflected in his eyes for her to see, the fact that he was so proud of her accomplishment made her absolutely giddy. And to her astonishment, she realized that though she was over joyed at Titania's obvious pride in her achievement, Jareth's was one she sought after.

She wanted Jareth to be proud of her, wanted to do most anything to always have that look of obvious pride for her on his face, displayed for all the world to see. She wanted to impress him and be his equal, to stand on the same footing as him in every way.

The facts made Sarah's mind stutter with the implications of such emotions. Did she truly want to go beyond the boundaries of friendship with this man someday? Sure, they had been getting along great. But to have romantic feelings for him now? Attraction, yes. But she just wasn't sure about the rest of it.

'Slow down, Sarah.' she reprimanded herself. 'Friends can hug each other and want to impress one another, it's not really a big deal. It's normal to want to impress those close to you and have them praise you for your progress, and Jareth is no different.'

But looking up at him, smiling down at her as he was, made her stomach quiver and suddenly she wasn't so sure if it really was that big of a deal or not.

'Though perhaps I might want to distance from him for now, just until I figure out what's what. And besides, my world doesn't revolve around Jareth, I still have studying to do.'

Right. Studying.

She blushed a bit as she took her hands out of Jareth's larger (and warmer, her traitorous mind helpfully pointed out) ones, and looked back to Titania.

"I could have never gotten this far without your guidance, Titania. Which brings me to a question that has been on my mind for the past few days."

Titania nodded that she was listening.

"I would like to come back to Avalon with you when you return, for multiple reasons, of course. Firstly, there was a couple points of interest that I had wanted to pursue in your library. Secondly, I wished to speak with her Majesty Callisto, as I'm sure she is aware of my circumstances and wishes to impart important information to me as well."

"Of course, my dear." Titania smiled. "It would be no trouble at all, you may come and spend all the time that you need in Avalon. You are always welcome. I am to depart after lunch. Is this arrangement agreeable to you, Jareth?"

He hid his frown, but just barely. His heart ached at the thought of being apart from Sarah once again, but she clearly wanted to return back to Avalon.

_'So much for my good day' _he thought sourly to himself.

"Just for two or three days. Please, Jareth?" Sarah asked, looking up at him pleadingly.

He sighed. He could never refuse her anything before, so why should now be any different? Besides that, he was far less depressed now that he knew she only wanted to leave for a few days and fully intended to return back to him. Though he knew full well she was bonded to him, he had felt a slight panic rise within him at her mentioning leaving. Furthermore, giving her the space she desired would only brighten her thoughts of him. Control and demands were not the way to Sarah's heart, and he would rather set her free then see her trapped in a place that made her unhappy.

"It is. But please limit your visit to no more than 4 days time, as you seem to be grasping your magical ability with little trouble and will be ready to advance rather quickly, I think. The more ground we can cover, the better."

Her gaze softened and he had to wonder if she couldn't hear his rapid heartbeat through his flesh and clothes. By the Gods, this woman was certainly more powerful than she knew.

"Thank you, Jareth. I'll return to the Labyrinth as swiftly as I can" she promised, giving him a chaste kiss on his cheek and bounding off ahead of them towards her room to freshen up before lunch would be served.

Jareth watched her go with a mixture of elation and depression, an odd combination if there ever was one. The next few days were going to pass hellishly slow, and he couldn't help but sigh once more.

A soft hand on his shoulder made him slightly turn his head to see a gently smiling Titania.

"You are on the right path, my son. She respects and is starting to trust you, and giving her space will only strengthen those feelings. A sound structure, while it may take longer to build, will ensure a steady foundation to build upon." she advised wisely, her eyes twinkling much like her sons.

"Thank you, Mother. Though I will admit that her leaving again makes my heart heavy, I am content in the knowledge that she intends to return of her own free will. I am making progress." He grinned cheekily and Titania laughed softly.

"You are" she agreed. "Though had you chosen any other woman, I fear you would not be so lucky. She has forgiven you and overlooked many things that others would be quick to judge and condemn you for, she is truly one of a kind. Do not take her for granted, Jareth."

"Never" he said solemnly.

"Good. Now, be a good boy and escort your dear mother to the dining hall. After all that excitement, I am near famished."

Jareth chuckled and offered his arm to his mother and led them to the dining hall to wait for Sarah, a spring in his step and a lightness in his heart.

After a cheerful lunch, Sarah said her farewells to Jareth, promising him again a swift return, and was whisked away back to Avalon.

After her moment of dizziness cleared, Sarah was able to recognize the room that she now stood in. Titania's private study, where they had taken tea, where Sarah was enlightened to the fact that Jareth had been fascinated by her, and that she was pretty much stuck in the Underground for the rest of her life.

_'But I don't regret being here. Not at all' _she mused inwardly, smiling as she let her eyes sweep over the room. _'I think I was just always supposed to be here, though I was born in another world, I was destined to end up living here. It just feels ... like home.'_

A soft smile lit up her face, and she turned to Titania.

"Thank you for allowing me to return here. Would you mind greatly if I got started straight away in the library?"

"It is no trouble, I assure you. You may of course take your leave, I will have an escort lead you the library and will have you summoned when dinner is served."

Sarah barely had time to voice her thanks when a knock sounded from the door behind her, and a young looking man dressed in formal looking attire with short and spiky golden hair and cerulean eyes bowed before them.

"Your Majesty has summoned me" he stated, his voice warm and rich, like honey.

"Yes. Tristyn, please show our guest to the library."

He bowed. "Of course, Majesty." He turned to Sarah. "Please, follow me."

And with that he turned and started to walk away. Sarah uttered another quick thanks as she hurried after her guide, whose long legs were making it a bit difficult to keep pace with him. He stood maybe about as tall as Jareth, perhaps a inch or two taller, but had less of a build as far as she could tell. And quite unlike Jareth with his wild and unruly mane, Tristyn had his hair cut short, and thus his pointy ears were visible to her curious gaze.

All the Fae she had encountered so far all had long hair that covered their ears, so she found herself unable to tear her gaze from the curious sight of slightly elongated and pointed ears. She had been told that over time her ears would change as well, as well as other possible changes. With the mixture of magic inside of her it was hard to say what other changes may eventually take place, and she was almost afraid to speculate on them.

For instance, Ritsa obviously wasn't born with natural green locks, so that was one of the changes that happened for her. And though there was a distinct difference of magic's between herself and Ritsa, Sarah had to wonder if her hair would also change colors, and if so, to what? If hair could change green down here, then no colors were off limits. For all she knew she could just one day wake up sporting a head full of bright pink hair.

She shuddered at the thought. She liked pink, but didn't really want it for a hair color, thank you very much.

Another possible change were the colors of her eyes, which seemed almost as likely as her ears changing. Every Fae, she was informed, had unique eyes that were different from Fae to Fae. The way Titania had explained it was that it was from the magic within the Fae that made their eyes that way, almost as if they were beautiful marbles with an inner light. It was fascinating actually, and Sarah found herself hoping for that particular change. But again, because of her peculiar magic mixture, one could never be sure until it actually happened.

"Here we are, Miss." Tristyn spoke, breaking Sarah out of her thoughts.

He opened the door for her and then stepped aside, inclining his head slightly to her.

"Thank you" she said as she walked past him, gasping slightly as she took in her new surroundings.

To say it was huge was a gross understatement. It was positively monumental! The room was circular and had three stories of hundreds of tall bookshelves, and a small area on the bottom section with a few tables and chairs to read at. There were shelves that seemed to go on in a complex endless maze, where one could easily get lost. The sight was truly a breathtaking one, but beautiful as it was a small part of her whined about having to wander aimlessly through the massive library to find her query.

She thought about asking Tristyn, as he was still standing outside the door, watching her with what she thought may be interest, but quickly dashed it. She didn't want anybody knowing about the research that she had come here to do. The less people that knew the better, because then the less likely it would be that information could leak out and get distorted, and the less likely it was that a silly fight led to a full scale war. That was something that she definatley didn't need on her conscience.

No, she'd just have to do this the old fashioned way: Looking around.

But before she could start...

"Thanks again, Tristyn. I'll be fine from here" she said, turning around to face him and plastering a smile on her face.

He said nothing for a moment, a moment in which his sparkling cerulean eyes bored into her's, something that unnerved her. She wasn't sure why, it wasn't the same as when Duane had looked at her, but it was as if he were undressing her with his eyes, and she had to fight the urge to cover herself and turn away from him.

But the moment passed quickly, much to her relief, and he merely inclined his head once more before turning and leaving her to her own devices.

'That was weird. The way he looked at me was...' she shivered. She couldn't even properly explain the feeling that his looking at her gave her, only that it made her uneasy.

'Maybe if my eyes change like that, then I could do that trick to'

She shook her head slightly to clear her head, bringing her thoughts back to the matter at hand.

Right. Time to get to work. She had lots of books to find and devour and not a whole lot of time to do so, and everything else would just have to wait. She needed all of her wits present and accounted for if she was going to properly absorb all the knowledge held within these books, she knew that whatever she would find here would be of great importance and she needed to be able to remember it.

She let out a breathy sigh as she scanned the cavernous room before her. She was going to be here for a while...

"Well, better get started or I'll never get finished" she said to herself, rolling up her sleeves and walking towards the nearest bookshelf.

The hours slipped away almost mischievously. Beyond the wide windows, the evening deepened to indigo, then to black, and the candles within the library flared into life. It was hours before someone came to retrieve her from the library, and she was very grateful for the interruption. Her eyes hurt and were slightly blurry, her back ached from leaning over her books, and her head was steadily pounding from pouring over the ancient texts.

Furthermore, the books didn't really provide her with information that she wasn't already privy to. Jareth had already told her the tale of Kor-Tia and his lust for the dark arts, the great war in the east when the ogre's attacked the elves, and eventually leading to Lord Oberon sealing most of the elves magic away.

And there was even less information in the texts about the Duane, former lord of the south. The few pages that were written about him told of his brutal laws and cruel ways, and of course, his murder of the Ogre King and attempt to overthrow the Goblin King.

Sarah frowned. Duane seemed so much like Kor-Tia in his lust for power, like he would sacrifice anything or anyone to get it. Lives to him were expendable and nothing more than a tool for him to use to get what he wanted, nothing but power meant anything to him.

And if anything, Duane was probably more devious and cunning when it came to getting what he wanted. While Jareth was mischievous and tricky, Sarah saw the playfulness behind it. There was no malevolence to his cunning, though she wasn't naive enough to think that he couldn't do so if he needed. But there was nothing playful about the aura that surrounded Duane.

She sighed as she allowed herself to be led out of the library and down towards the dining hall, her thoughts in a chaotic heap.

She still had to see if there were any texts on potions and poisons yet, and her back ached in response to her thoughts. But she was holding onto the hope that she may be able to identify whatever Duane had in his possession a few days ago, because knowing him, it was lethal.

By the time she entered the dining hall, greeted her hosts, and indulged in a pleasant dinner and light conversation, Duane was the farthest thing from her mind.

'Tomorrow' she promised herself as she laid herself in the comfort of soft sheets and a feathery pillow, 'tomorrow I'll continue looking for answers.'

With that last thought she fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

Shortly after breakfast Sarah found herself scouring the shelves once more for books pertaining to her current interest in various spells, potions and poisons. She gingerly sipped her cup of herbal tea as her eyes scanned one text after another, her fingers running along the spines as she searched.

It was a good two hours later when she finally found a small cluster of books that were of interest to her, and with a bit of effort, she managed to get them all to a table on the bottom level, and started to look through them.

There was a large encyclopedia type book about different ingredients for poisons, which was not overly helpful as it had no diagrams or depictions of how the poisons looked, only what was in them and how deadly they were.

She wanted dearly to slam the book shut and toss it across the room, but refrained from doing so and instead gently closed the book and pushed it aside. She hardly thought that her hosts would appreciate her abuse of the papery sources of knowledge, but it sure was tempting at the moment. After all, what good were all these books if they weren't telling her things that she already knew?

'You're not very helpful' a younger Sarah pouted, following after a small dwarf.

'Not if you ask the right questions' he informed her sagely, like he had imparted some great knowledge upon her.

Her shoulders slumped and she said the first thing that popped into her head. "How do I get into the Labyrinth?'

The dwarf froze and slowly turned to face her, a wicked smile playing on his lips. "Aaaah, that's more like it. You get in there." He pointed to a section of wall that suddenly opened and parted under his silent command, and Sarah could only gape at him.

"Maybe that's it..." she whispered, her head in her hands. "Maybe I'm not asking the right questions. But then, what would be the right question?"

She sighed when no answers were fourth coming. She had learned the hard way that not everything in life turned out the way you'd planned it, and that sometimes your intricate road map of what you wanted mysteriously disappeared or got ripped down the middle or got trampled into the dust by someone wearing cleats, and that when that happened, you just had to get up, brush yourself off, and start walking in a direction that looked promising.

Over the course of the past week, she had eventually accepted that she didn't really know where she would end up or what she was doing, and she had accepted that sometimes not knowing where the roads led was okay. And sometimes it would lead somewhere you hadn't expected, somewhere you hadn't even dreamed of, and that was better by far than anything you could have planned.

But not knowing at the moment was driving her slowly insane. She needed to know what the hell Duane had in his possession, and she wouldn't rest until she found out. If her instincts were correct, lives were depending on her figuring out the puzzle that was Duane.

She let her head fall with a soft 'thud' to the cool surface of the table, trying to remember exactly all that she had learned to see if there was something that she was missing, some small yet vital piece of information that would unlock the mystery.

And then it hit her, and she bolted upright.

Duane wanted power, of that she was positive. And what held the most power?

"Kor-Tia's manuscript" she breathed, eyes wide.

Duane wanted the manuscript that Kor-Tia had written, the very thing that had overpowered and killed him. It wasn't difficult to imagine what he wanted it for, either.

'Most likely so that he can finally have his dreams of taking over the Underground realized.' she thought grimly. 'And if succeeds in getting his slimy paws on that book...'

Sarah shivered violently. It was definatley a grim prospect, for sure.

'So the right question that I should be asking, is where exactly is Kor-Tia's manuscript now?'

She vaguely recalled Jareth saying something about it being stolen after the great war between the elves and ogre's, and no one had ever heard about it again. But obviously Duane knew something that they did not, for all his lurking around, she was starting to suspect that he was searching for something in the Labyrinth. Something like the manuscript, perhaps?

That did not answer anything about the vial of liquid in question, however, but it was certainly a revelation and she smiled triumphantly. That manuscript and Duane were both bad news, but if she could find it first then his efforts would be in vain once more, and perhaps this time something more permanent could be done about his vile ambitions.

Like removing all magic from his person, and have him scrub rocks in the bog of eternal stench for the rest of his unnatural life.

She grinned as a mental image of him doing just that popped into her mind, with Ludo calling huge boulders straight from the bog for him to scrub.

'Now that is just down right evil' she snickered inwardly.

She rose from her seat, wincing as several vertebrae popped back into place, and set off to the dining hall. She knew it must be nearing lunch and she could do with something in her stomach and a nice hot cup of soothing tea, and then she'd hit the books again.

It was tedious work but she remained vigilant in her search for answers, knowing that it just may be the answer to saving a life or the lives of countless thousands.

"Sarah? Sarah dear, wake up"

Sarah woke with a start, her heart hammering in her throat as her foggy brain tried to catch up with where she was and who was addressing her.

"My apologies Sarah, but I have come to fetch you for dinner." Titania smiled sweetly down at her as she stretched her limbs, wincing as some of said limbs cried out in protest after having being bent at awkward angels for the past couple of hours.

Hiding a yawn behind her hand, she replied. "I'm sorry, I hope I haven't kept you or Lord Oberon waiting."

"Not at all" she assured the groggy woman in front of her, her eyes wandering the titles of the texts that sat on the table before her.

"I realize that it's terribly rude to be so nosy, but may I inquire to why you would need to learn about things such as different poisons and potions?" she asked, raising a delicate eyebrow at Sarah's choice of reading material.

Sarah sighed. She hadn't wanted anyone to get mixed up in her theories just yet, as she still had no actual proof of Duane or Melantha stepping out of line, except for the strange vial of liquid that Duane possessed, and she wouldn't put it past that wicked witch to try to conjure something fatal and try to slip it to her somehow.

But it couldn't be helped now, she had been found out. But perhaps this was not necessarily a bad thing, perhaps Titania would have an inkling as to what that liquid was.

"Before I say anything, can you promise me that this conversation will stay between us and the walls of the library? I didn't want to raise any false alarms or start any wars over my suspicions"

Titania looked intrigued, and nodded as she sat across from Sarah. "I give you my word that I shall not breath a word to anybody"

A soft smile crept over Sarah's face as she told the queen of her thoughts, theories and suspicions, and of her absolute distrust of both Duane and Melantha.

Titania quirked her head to the side as she pondered over Sarah's words, a comfortable silence stretching out between them, until she finally spoke.

"I do not trust the pair of them either, and quite frankly, would see them sent to the end of the Underground, to the badlands, if either one so much as put a toe out of line. However, as you can see, both have taken the utmost care to not step out of line, or at least are clever enough not to get caught in doing so. I also understand your worries of starting trouble over such matters, as politics are never cut and dry, and there are many spoiled royals who are easily offended."

Sarah nodded but remained silent for Titania to continue.

"And though I understand that you did not wish to burden Jareth with things that you think may be irrelevant, I would like to let you know that I happen to be a very good listener, am a trustworthy confidant, and am quite knowledgeable about the Underground as well" She finished with a soft smile, which Sarah returned.

"Truly, it was never about not trusting you with the information, Titania. It was...I just didn't want to create a problem where there may not be one, you know? I mean, you all have kingdom's to run and now you're all dealing with trying to train and prepare me for some great evil that's lurking just around the corner. I just wanted some actual evidence before I said anything to anybody."

Titania nodded. "I understand. You have a large heart Sarah, and I thank you for your good intentions. But from now on I would appreciate you coming to me with such matters if you find that you do not wish to turn to my son, as your instincts have proven to be accurate on more than one occasion. Besides, rarely do I have the chance to hear the goings on of my sons kingdom, and I daresay I wouldn't turn down any interesting stories you may have" She winked.

A bubbled laugh escaped Sarah's lips, like a breath of fresh air to her soul, and she smiled a genuine smile up at the queen.

"Thank you, Titania. You've been like my my anchor in this world, keeping me grounded as the currents try to sweep me up and drown me. Thank you, for everything"

"You are welcome, Sarah. Now, I do believe that if we dally any longer, we will keep Lord Oberon waiting."

"Yes, of course" Sarah said, immediately marking her place in the book and standing up out of her chair to follow Titania from the library into the hall.

"And after dinner and tea, my schedule is free if you should need any assistance with your research."

"I would greatly appreciate your help in this matter, if it is no trouble"

Titania nodded her head and they continued their trek to the dining hall in a comfortable silence.

Sarah awoke the next morning in a sour mood, a petulant frown still upon her lips and an angry crease still carved into her brow.

Her and Titania had searched until nearly the middle of the night for a book containing the knowledge of what type of liquid Duane now held in his possession, but to no avail. Every book they had taken down and devoured held no answers, not even a hint of an answer, and left Sarah with a sour taste in her mouth.

If this grand library had no answers within it, then where else could she possibly look?

_'I'm sure the Elven Kingdom has lots of helpful books' _her mind supplied helpfully, to which she immediately gave a very unladylike snort.

Because she was positive that Melantha would welcome her with open arms and let her snoop around the kingdom for evidence to bury her with.

_'Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. And when I get back to the Labyrinth the bog will suddenly smell like roses, and Jareth and Duane will be sitting in the courtyard having a lovely cup of tea together.'_

With an irritated huff, she flopped onto her stomach and pulled her pillow overtop of her head, just barely resisting the urge to scream into the mattress.

She really despised the dead end that she had hit, and just when things had been going so well. One piece of the puzzle solved, only to have the last remaining piece to complete it denied to her.

_'You'd think that with all those books on potions and poisons, that one of them would have had some useful information! But noooo! Those old stupid books didn't help me one b...'_

She froze as her mind took a sudden detour from her aggravated rambling.

Those books in the library were old. Very old, in fact. Hadn't Titania even mentioned something about not having any new reading material in quite some time?

_'That's it...That's it!'_

She threw her pillow and blankets off of her and sat up, wide eyed with her sudden revelation.

"That poison or potion is new. Something entirely new, and as such, wouldn't be in any of the old text's! That sly bitch created something that nobody else would know about because it's not in any books in any library!"

She jumped off her bed and hurried to get dressed. She needed to go back to the Labyrinth and check on Jareth, and search the cottage where Duane had stayed. She dearly hoped that Duane and Melantha's evil scheme was scheduled some other time, and that when she got back home to the Labyrinth that everything would be as it should be.

_You *do* realize of course, that you just referred to the Labyrinth as your home, right?'_

She froze in the midst of putting on her socks, one leg still stuck up in the air as she steadied herself on the wall, looking like a deer caught in a set of headlights.

She had, hadn't she? She had never really thought about it, but the Labyrinth _was_ her home now. And though she thought she would have had feelings of sorrow, depression or general home sickness, she didn't.

Instead, a soft smile lit her features as she thought of her new home and its monarch with fondness. She thought of the goblins who were loyal and amusing and quite endearing in their own ways. She thought of the beautiful landscape that was the Goblin Kingdom, with its confusing and twisting passages, not to mention the fact that it was a living thing. And then she thought about Jareth, the deeply seductive, devastatingly handsome king with his white poet's shirt with plunging neckline, tight fitted breeches and black, shiny boots. The man who had engendered both fear and fascination.

A sudden shiver of awareness ran up her spine at the thought of the Goblin King, making her toes curl and heart rate speed up. He unnerved her still, but in an entirely different manner. Now she was aware of him as woman, and that made him far more dangerous.

She sighed. Things were so much simpler when he was the bad guy, though he was still attractive, he was evil and therefore off limits.

_'Maybe 'evil' is the wrong term. Hmmm, how about we use...'morally challenged' instead?'_

Either way now he was painted in an entirely different light in her eyes, and the image was very intent on making her blush hotly.

"Come on Sarah, focus! No time to get all giggly like a school girl with a crush! I need to get back and check things out!"

Finally when she was dressed she ran to the dining hall, hoping to catch Titania before Lord Oberon arrived. Mighty ruler Lord Oberon may be, but morning person he was not.

When she arrived Titania was just sitting down to a cup of tea, thankfully with Lord Oberon absent.

"My dear, whatever is the matter?" Titania asked worriedly, taking in Sarah's appearance.

"I need to go back, back to the Labyrinth. I must make sure that everything is alright there" she said in a rush, still a bit out of breath from her run.

"Here, come sit down, have a cup of tea and tell me what is troubling you" Titania said gently, gesturing to the seat beside her.

She shook her head. "There may not be time. See, I think that why we couldn't find anything about the poison or potion that Duane may have in your books, is because it's something new. And if it was slipped into Jareth's food then who knows..."

She couldn't finish her sentence, the thought's of what could be happening as she stood there swirled around violently in her brain and she squeezed her eyes shut and covered her mouth. But though her eyes were closed and her mouth was covered, Titania could still see few tears and hear her strangled cry.

She moved away from the table and to Sarah's side, where she embraced her with one arm and gently held Sarah's chin in the other.

"Do not worry, my dear. If anything of the kind had happened I would be privy to it already. I have many contacts other than my son in the Labyrinth, as he has here in Avalon. It will take more than a little illusion or two to fool my friends and myself" she winked at that last part.

Sarah chuckled weakly, rubbing the stray tears from her cheeks.

"You're probably right" she said at last, "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me, my emotions got the better of me I guess."

Titania shook her head. "Do not apologize, Sarah. I understand. Now come, sit with me and we will have a nice tea and breakfast. After that, if you still wish it, I will send you home. Her Majesty Callisto will understand and you may return another day to visit with her."

She nodded her head. "Yes, thank you." She allowed herself to be led over to her seat at the table and let herself be swallowed into Titania's light conversation.

Titania, meanwhile, hid a knowing smile. Sarah had not objected in the least when she offered to return her home to the Labyrinth. She was becoming more aware of her feelings towards Jareth, and she bet it wouldn't be too long now before she realized them to their full extent.

Things were getting rather interesting in the Underground.


	15. Chapter 15

As soon as the dizzying sensation of being transported left her, Sarah made her way quickly to the kitchens with high hopes of finding nothing out of the ordinary. She had hated to leave Avalon without having visited the fairy queen, which was almost the entire point of visiting in the first place, and she could only pray that Titania would smooth things over for her. She just couldn't shake the visions in her head of Jareth sitting at the head of his table, a marvelous feast spread out before him, but in her mind's eye he was deathly pale and limp, slouching back against his chair with glazed eyes staring at nothing.

Some part of her realized that she was putting Jareth above her training, and therefore above both worlds, but she didn't quite know how to deal with that little piece of information so she shoved the thought away to be dealt with later. First she needed to see for herself that everything was alright. That the Labyrinth was not in any immediate danger. That its inhabitants were still meandering the streets of the goblin city without so much as a care in the world. That he was still as irritating and lively as he always had been.

She descended a set of stairs and rounded a corner, the scent of breakfast wafting ever closer and guiding her to her destination. Finally she reached the large wooden door to the kitchens, and she let herself in without any hesitation, her eyes taking in the bustling of the goblin and elvish workers alike, rushing to get breakfast served.

_'That's odd' _ she thought, frowning slightly. _'Breakfast should have been prepared and done with by now.'_

"Good morning Lady Sarah" a maid addressed her shyly with a curtsy, wisps of her black hair that escaped her pony tail framing a comely and gentle face, and warm chocolate eyes beamed at her. She stood maybe an inch or two taller than Sarah, but if you did not look closely you would never know, as the woman kept her head mostly bowed and her eyes downcast.

It took Sarah a moment to pinpoint why this woman was so familiar to her when it finally hit her; it was the maid who had served her dinner the night that Melantha, or the wicked bitch from the east as she had been dubbed in Sarah's mind, had showed up in all her slutty glory.

"Yes, hello, good morning..." Sarah fumbled with her words, her brain racing to retrieve the name from her memory. _'Grace? No. Gertrude? Not even close! Gabrielle? Wrong again! Oooh, what was her name!? I know it started with a 'G' for sure ... GWEN!'_

"Gwen, right?" Sarah asked, a little uncertainly, forcing a smile as she hoped that she got it right.

"I am. You have remembered my name, I am honoured my Lady"

A small breath escaped Sarah as she silently congratulated herself on remembering the girl's name and avoiding an awkward situation, and with a real smile she shook her head slightly.

"There's no need for this 'lady' stuff, really. I need no special treatment."

"But you are a guest of the King, and if the rumours that are heard are true, you are also the mythical battle maiden of legend that the prophecy speaks of!"

"Be that as it may, I am not perfect by any means, and I wish to be treated as an equal here. Besides, I'm more of a subject of the King than a guest, a guest would imply that I would be leaving at some point." Sarah grinned.

"Really? From the whispers within the Labyrinth, I had heard that you were the Kings betrothed." Gwen blinked innocently at her, while Sarah blushed a deep crimson.

She coughed awkwardly. "Uhh, no, that's not the case..."

Gwen seemed disappointed as she looked down at her feet. "I see. Forgive my saying so, but I wish it weren't false."

Sarah's blush deepened further, but she couldn't stop her curiosity from getting the better of her. "How come?"

It was Gwen's turn to blush, but she had enough courage to look up at Sarah as she spoke. "Because I think that the two of you even each other out, you both give each other the challenge the other craves and needs, and I think that you both bring out the best in each other. And a strong, courageous and fair queen would wouldn't hurt either."

Sarah was dumfounded for a moment, taking in the information and attempting to process it was harder than it sounded, especially when her feelings for Jareth were conflicted as it was. Did she really bring out the best in him? And vice versa? She knew that they had been getting along rather well since her return to the Labyrinth, and a part of her had wondered if it was just him being polite and trying to make up for past transgressions, or was it genuine?

Gwen watched Sarah's face go blank, like she was in shock, and thinking that she had said something wrong she hurried to fix her mistake.

"But that is only the opinion of a servant, nothing more! Just ramblings and thoughts from words whispered in the hallways, and maybe from the way he glances at you when you are not looking...Oh!" she clamped a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening. "I should not have said that! His majesty would be most displeased if he ever found out that I have indulged information that he may not have wanted known! He would surely banish me from the kitchens and serving altogether! Ooh, what am I to do?" she cried, her eyes glassy with unshed tears and lip quivering in an attempt to hold herself together.

Sarah placed a comforting hand on hers, giving a gentle and reassuring squeeze.

"Don't worry Gwen, this conversation won't go any further than the kitchen, I swear it. It's okay, don't be upset anymore." she soothed.

Gwen managed a shaky smile and a nod. "Alright. I thank you, Lady Sarah, you are most kind and generous."

Sarah was pretty sure that there would be no deterring Gwen from addressing her as 'Lady Sarah', so she just let it slide. She hadn't had any luck with getting Ritsa to do so either, so there was no point in arguing the fact.

"I had better get back to work though," Gwen finally said after composing herself. "His Majesty has slept in this morning so everything is late now, and if I do not hurry I will get nothing accomplished this day." Gwen smiled as she turned to side step Sarah and retrieve a tray of food.

Instantly Sarah was reminded of her reason in the kitchens in the first place, and she swore darkly underneath her breath as she turned to catch Gwen before she left. She definitely needed to work on not being distracted so easily, because it just might end up being the death of someone.

"Wait! Gwen, wait! I have a question for you!"

Gwen halted and turned, her arms half outstretched to the tray that sat on the table before her.

"Yes, Lady Sarah?"

"Tell me, have you seen or heard anything strange since I have left the castle? Anybody new wandering about in the kitchen? Anything missing or suddenly appearing out of nowhere? Anything at all?"

Gwen was quiet for a moment as she thought, and time seemed to almost freeze as Sarah waited with bated breath for her to continue.

"No, I do not recall any strange incidents the past two nights." she said, her head cocked to one side as she thought. "Why do you ask?"

"For now I'd rather not say, but I urge you as well as all the rest of the staff, to keep your eyes open to anything out of the ordinary. Just to be on the safe side." Sarah smiled weakly, trying to hide her uneasiness.

Gwen seemed a bit confused at the request, but nodded. "I will spread the word to the other cooks and maids to be watchful of any curious events, and will come straight to you if anything should be found."

Sarah smiled. "Thank you, Gwen. I would appreciate that greatly."

Gwen smiled and continued with her task of bringing Jareth his breakfast, leaving a weary Sarah behind. These days it always felt like her mind was racing to and fro, and she fought to keep up with not only her private thoughts, but with her new training regimen as well.

"Oh, well if it isn't the Lady Sarah. I didn't even know you were back yet. I will have your breakfast sent up to the dining hall immediately." An older woman Sarah recognized as the head chef in the kitchens said, turning around without so much as a backwards glance.

"Oh, no, that's alright, I'm no..." her sentence was finished by a deep rumbling in her stomach, much to her embarrassment.

"Not hungry, are you? Then what's that noise coming from your tummy?" the cook grinned as she stirred a large wooden spoon in the bubbling pot before her.

Sarah sighed and shook her head, but laughed nonetheless. "Alright, I surrender. 'Off to the dining hall with me'" she teased with a smile, turning and heading for the door. Her grin widened as she heard the woman chuckle behind her, and she headed for the dining hall feeling lighter than she had in the past two days.

She hummed happily to herself as she walked the passages of the castle, smiling and greeting servants of the castle as she passed, until she finally found herself before the open doors of the dining hall. Inside, she spied Jareth, he wore only his simple white poet's shirt and grey breeches, along with his trademark black boots and gloves, an outfit that Sarah had come to really admire him in. It looked as if he were waiting for breakfast to be served and was merely lounging in his chair, and he did even that with grace that she wished she possessed. Perhaps as time wore on some of his grace would rub off onto her?

_'Oooooh! Now there's a kinky thought.'._ The thought whispered seductively, and her traitorous brain came up with several different images of Jareth and rubbing, which in turn left Sarah's cheeks stained a bright cherry red.

_'These thoughts are the last thing I need right now! Seriously! I have duties and learning to do and there's snooping to be done! As Shakespeare would say; 'The game's are afoot!' And I plan on winning this game'_

She hoped that the rather perverted part of her brain had its say for now and would be satisfied to keep its opinions to itself for a while, because if it kept going and teasing her like this, she would need to be medicated. That part of her brain seemed rather unconcerned that she could barely make heads or tails of whatever she felt towards the goblin king, and thoughts like that were only making things more complicated in her head.

It was just too soon to try to put a name to anything she felt for him. Sure, lots had changed in her opinion regarding him, but they were still just friends. A part of her knew that she wanted more than friendship from the handsome king, a part of her dreamed about the possibilities of them being together, and a part of her hoped that they would end up together after all this mess was said and done.

But a larger part of her kept insisting that it was too much, too fast, too soon. They had but a small crumbly structure with which to build a relationship upon, and it only spelled disaster, for it wouldn't take much for the structure to give way beneath their feet. If she was going to have him, she wanted it to last, to be strong and healthy and to thrive, she wanted more than anything to do this right.

A small frown crossed her lips as she thought that she should wait to pursue anything romantic with Jareth, until after everything was said and done and the dust settled, after she was victorious of the defeat of her enemy. She should wait until the future was one of peace and happiness, not clouded over by a sense of doom and war, to see where she stood with Jareth and what they both wanted.

_'But if it happens before then, then it happens. We're both adults, and I think we can both decide when or if we're ready to have a serious romantic relationship. Besides, love is not a crutch, but a powerful force to be reckoned with. If something happened between me and Jareth before the end of this war, I'm certain that it would empower us to fight all the harder. I've made my decision. I am neither going to strive for or fight off his affections, I'm just going to let my instincts guide me. Whatever will be, will be.'_

She couldn't fight off the tiny smile as an image of herself and Jareth together, kissing and caressing each other with tender care.

But until such a time where either event occurred, she was just going to enjoy the time that she spent here with him, enjoy the teasing and the verbal sparring and the moments where he would look at her and seem to devour her with his glance alone. She shook her head as she regained her sense of her surroundings, readying herself to make her presence known and to think up a good excuse for her early return.

She silently entered the room and was about to bid him a good morning, when she spotted another person at the table that she hadn't seen at the time, either because the person was further down the table than her view from the door allowed her to see, or because she was merely fixated upon Jareth and oblivious to anything else.

She decided to go with her first theory.

"Ah, welcome back, Sarah." Jareth greeted her warmly, standing from his seat and pulling out the seat next to him for her, seemingly not the least bit surprised of her arrival.

Recovering from her surprise quickly, Sarah smiled at the woman who also stood at her arrival, and then at Jareth. The woman looked oddly familiar, but she couldn't quite place her finger on how she knew her. The woman wore a white dress that could have been what royalty deemed a summer dress, it was light and flowing and Sarah thought it a very elegant look.

"Good morning. I hope I am not interrupting anything"

"Nonsense. In fact, we were just discussing matters concerning you" Jareth said as he guided her towards her seat and pushed her chair in for her. He leaned towards her and for a moment, Sarah thought that he was going to kiss her, but his lips instead found the shell of her ear.

"You were missed, precious" he whispered, leaning back and grinning with self satisfaction at her slightly dilated pupils and the fact that her arms had broken out into goose-flesh.

Sarah couldn't contain the shiver of excitement that raced through her when his warm breath hit her ear, the vibrations from his smooth and cajoling voice making her stomach tighten. She fought to regain her senses before she did something utterly stupid and embarrassing, and by the grace of the god's, she managed to fight down her blush and speak normally, if not a just a bit in a higher pitch.

"Oh, really?"

"Indeed. Sarah, you remember Callisto, the Fairy Queen." He gestured to the woman smiling at them, her long silver hair done up in a simple braid that rested over one shoulder.

"Oh. Yes! Of course, it is a pleasure to see you again, Your Majesty. Forgive my lack of memory, it's just that the last time we spoke you were...uh..."

"Smaller?" the queen supplied helpfully, chuckling when Sarah nodded. "Think nothing of it, my child. I do not expect you to remember everything within the span of a scant couple weeks, and I understand that you have much information to take in. Do not worry yourself if you cannot grasp everything right away" She finished with a wink that made Sarah smile.

"But I fear I must apologize, Your Highness, as I had meant to visit your castle before returning home to the Labyrinth, but I...uh...well you see, I was...uhmmm..."

Callisto shook her head with a smile. "No apologies are necessary, Sarah. Queen Titania came and asked that I might visit you in a space where you felt comfortable, there is nothing to be ashamed about for feeling homesick, my dear." Another wink.

Sarah's cheeks burned, and she could only hope that her cheeks weren't glowing too badly. But somehow she rather thought not, especially when she dared a peek at Jareth, who was looking at her with a broad grin and one raised eyebrow.

She resisted the urge to smack her forehead on the table, but inwardly she sighed melodramatically. _'That's just dandy. Could this get any more embarrassing?'_

And just as her luck would have it, her stomach decided that now would be an appropriate time to voice its opinion. And loudly.

_'Yes. It can, apparently. I just had to ask didn't I? If the red on my face wasn't visible before, it damn well is now! I probably look like Rudolph's cousin or something!'_

With one last chuckle from Jareth and Callisto, the servants began to enter the dining hall and sat the tray's in the proper spots.

"Well then, let us speak of more pressing matters after breakfast, shall we?" the fairy queen suggested, tucking into her meal.

With a sultry wink towards Sarah, who huffed indignantly before digging into her own breakfast tray, Jareth followed suit.

The trio relocated to Jareth's private study after breakfast, and now they sat at a circular table waiting for Callisto to speak.

"So you are aware of the prophecy, then?" she asked Sarah.

Sarah nodded. "It has been told for centuries that a human born battle maiden will arrive in Avalon, possessing both fae and fairy magic, and that she will eradicate the great evil that looms and threatens the two worlds and lead Avalon to a golden era of peace and prosperity." She repeated Titania's words that fateful day not too long ago.

"Good. And you are also aware of the mixture of fae and fairy magic that now resides in you?"

Again, Sarah nodded the affirmative.

"Splendid. I suppose all that is left now is for you to master your magic then, for which I think you have already overcome the first obstacle?"

"I have successfully channeled my magic through my entire body, and have successfully produced a small object" Sarah told her with a proud smile.

"Excellent." She looked to Jareth. "Shall we tutor her separately, or together?"

Jareth tipped his head for a moment before he responded. "I believe the best solution is for us to combine our efforts, it will make for less confusion on where she stands with her magic, and since she has a bit of both of our magic, we both should oversee and monitor the training. What say you?"

"I am agreeable to this. Well then, that settles it" she said with a cheerful clap of her hands, bringing the meeting to an end. "Shall we get started then?"

Sarah nodded, her eyes set and determined. "I am ready, Your Majesty"

"Oh, none of that now. When in training, you must address me as Callisto, in fact, I insist upon it."

Sarah smiled. "I am ready, Callisto"

"Very good. Let us retreat to the court-yard to begin."

Sarah stood and made to follow Callisto out of the room, when she realized that Jareth wasn't behind her. She stopped and looked back at him, "Jareth? Are you not coming?"

Jareth smiled as he stood and walked up to the woman he had loved and waited for for so many years. "I will be along shortly, but there are some papers which demand my attention before I do so. Alas, being a king is not always full of fun and frivolity" he all but pouted.

Sarah grinned at his antics, but nodded. "Alright. Don't take too long, okay?"

Jareth took one of her hands in his, and brought it up to his lips and gave the back of it a gentle kiss. "I shan't dally. I promise." He squeezed her hand gently before returning it to her, smiling at her as he watched her cradle her hand to her chest with a small smile on her lips.

"I trust you to keep your word then, and will leave you to it." With a final smile, she turned and motioned for Callisto to follow her to the court-yard where she trained. Callisto shot Jareth a knowing smile and raised an eyebrow at him before she disappeared from his sight, leaving him alone in the room.

Jareth, however, hardly noticed, as he was too engrossed in playing Sarah's parting words to him over in his mind. She trusted him? A large and genuine smile broke out on the Goblin King's face, and suddenly the dreary task of doing paper work became less dreaded, and he wasted no time in getting the pile of papers seen to so that he could join the raven haired beauty outside as soon as possible.

"Fae and fairy magic are not that different from each other, the most notable difference being where exactly the power is drawn from. Fae magic is more so drawn upon from the realm of the Aboveground, or more specifically, from the dreams and wishes of humans of the Aboveground. Dreams and wishes are a powerful source of energy, and that is what the fae draw upon when they use their magic.

Fairies, however, use the magic of the world of the Underground, the natural elements. Wind, fire, earth, water and spirit. Though, to be fair, the only fairies who can use the element of the spirit are those with royal blood, and yet even some of them cannot wield it fully." Callisto explained.

"So, I won't be able to use that element of magic?" Sarah asked.

Callisto shrugged. "I am not sure. You are an anomaly, you possess both types of magic, nothing like this has ever been seen in the Underground before. Perhaps you will never be able to use it, perhaps you will have limited use of it, or you could end up mastering it and using it to its full potential. It is hard to say at this point.

"What exactly is the element of spirit?"

"The element of spirit refers to the body, or your life force. Think of it as a combination between an Aboveground healer and a monk or priestess, for it is said that one with the power of the element of spirit at his command has the power to purify evil, and the power to heal wounds that would have otherwise been fatal."

"So, you can do that?"

Callisto smiled and shook her head. "No, child, I'm afraid that I cannot. Not to the full extent, anyway. I can heal small wounds and create small shields to keep evil at bay, but these are minor compared to the someone gifted with the complete element of spirit can do."

"It definitely sounds like something that would come in handy" Sarah said wistfully.

"Indeed. But we'll not worry about that just yet, for now I think we shall practice a technique that comes naturally to every fairy. The ability to re-size yourself. Are you ready?"

Sarah nodded and stood ready in front of her tutor, determined to make as much progress she could.

"You are already accustomed to finding her magical center, which is good. Sit. Now, I want you to cover your body in a thin layer of your magic. When you have accomplished this, I want you to focus on bringing that thin layer of magic in towards your magical center. This, Sarah, is how you will be able to shift your size from normal, to that of a regular fairy."

Sarah nodded and closed her eyes, ready to concentrate on the task at hand and about to focus on her magical center, when an image of Jareth came unbidden into her mind. At first she was angry at herself for yet another distraction, but looking at the image of Jareth in her mind, the kind smile and gentle eyes, she was reminded of the kiss to her hand earlier. She found herself smiling, a sense of calm coming over her, and she mentally thanked Jareth for his strength and support before she wiped her mind clean and started the process explained to her.

Finding her magical center was becoming an easier task as she kept practicing, but she knew the problem was going to lay in surrounding her entire body in a thin layer of her magic. Sure, she had gone through and opened up all the 'channel's' for her magic to work through, but she wasn't so confident about holding it in one spot while trying to keep spreading it. But she was nothing if not determined, so she set to work.

After a short period, it became quite apparent that trying to spread her magic from her center to other parts of her body all at once was not going to work. So she decided to abandon that idea all together and instead was working on spreading it from one hand in a thin and even layer up her arm, over her shoulder, and around the rest of her body.

It was working a bit better than the other way, but she found it hard to keep her magic in one place while focusing on spreading the rest of it over her body, often finding that the magic would slip and fall back into her center, and leaving her frustrated. If this kept up, she would end up doing countless rounds of her body, patching up where parts of her magic didn't stay put.

Eventually though, fatigue started to wear Sarah down, and Callisto intervened before she dropped from exhaustion.

"You are doing well, Sarah. Do not lose focus. But let us rest for now and summon a small snack before lunch, hmm? I was thinking cookies and tea?"

"That sounds great, Callisto. Thank you."

Too tired to remain sitting upright, Sarah gently laid herself on the soft grass and decided to watch the clouds while she waited. Soon she found herself battling to keep her eyes open, and tried to pick out different shapes of the clouds, but eventually sleep got the better of her and she soon drifted into a light sleep.

Callisto smiled at the girl. The nap would do her good, and she would wake her in a short while. But for now, she could rest and recuperate her energy.

Two hours later Sarah stirred, her eye lids fluttering open and a soft moan escaping her lips as she tried to recall why she was asleep outside in the courtyard. She stood up and stretched her arms above her head as her memories came back to her at a leisurely pace, and as she turned around, she found Callisto sitting at a nearby table, smiling at her.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you" Sarah replied, somewhat meekly. "I'm sorry for falling asleep on you, why didn't you wake me?"

Callisto waved her hand in dismissal. "It is no trouble, Sarah. As you practice and experiment with your new-found magic, it is likely to wear you out quite quickly. But it will fade as time passes and you become more accustomed to using your magic on a more regular basis. Now come, sit and have tea with me. Then we shall continue on with your training."

Sarah smiled gratefully as she sat down across from the fairy queen, sipping her tea and letting the rich exotic flavors roll across her tongue before she swallowed. They talked about the lovely weather of the Underground, and how soon the seasons would change as they would Aboveground to autumn, and how Sarah would most definitely have to come to the ball that the fairies threw every autumn.

As Callisto went through a rather detailed explanation of the decorations that she was thinking of for her castle this year, Sarah's mind wandered towards a certain blonde haired fae that had yet to make an appearance like he said he would. What could be keeping him? By her calculations, they had left him in his study about four and a half hours ago.

_'Yeah, but did you even notice that gigantic stack of papers sitting on his desk? Ludo could have probably hidden in behind them!'_

She sighed. Now that she re-thought about it, she did recall seeing that rather large stack of papers cluttering up one side of his desk. He probably had a few days of reading material just in those documents alone, nevermind if something else came up.

_'I'm sure he'll get here as soon as he can' _she told herself, trying to remind herself that just because he wanted to come and supervise her training, that didn't necessarily mean that he would be able to.

"But enough chatter about decorations and balls, you will see soon enough. Are you ready to continue?" Callisto asked before draining the remaining contents of her tea.

Sarah blinked as she was abruptly reminded that she was supposed to have been listening to Callisto, cursing herself for letting her mind wander completely away from the topic at hand. She'd only managed to catch the last bit of what Callisto had said about her training, and decided that she'd stick with what she hoped was a safe nod of her head.

"Excellent. I'm sure that you will get the hang of it this time around" she smiled at Sarah, patting her hand in a comforting gesture.

"I sure hope so" Sarah sighed, getting up and walking back over to her spot on the grass. She heaved another final sigh as she plopped herself back onto the ground, crossing her legs and closing her eyes and concentrating on the task at hand.

This time she found that spreading her magic evenly was a bit easier of a task, though still a slow and tedious progress, she still smiled at her progress. It took the better part of an hour before Sarah finally felt fairly confident in the layer of magic she had enveloped herself in, though perhaps a little uneven in places and she struggled to keep it all in place, she had finally accomplished the first step in the task she had been given.

_ 'Alright, now pull the magic in towards your center' _she heard Callisto's voice instruct her.

Sarah imagined it like being wrapped in a thin cocoon and trying to pull the layers of silk tighter to her body, pulling at the sides in towards her center. This process was a lot more tedious than the layering of her magic, as now she was trying to move the layers instead of just trying to make them stable, but she worked slowly and tried to follow her gut instincts as to how to maneuver her magic. After all, it wasn't like she had ever done this before. But somewhere in the deep recess of her mind, a tiny voice was guiding her actions, giving her small idea's as to how to do things.

She used to think she was utterly mad when the tiny voice in her head came about, and the fact that it had appeared no more than a month after her run through the Labyrinth, well, at the time the voice just couldn't be trusted. But the tiny voice would just not be ignored and grew in volume until she could no longer shut it out, and when she actually stopped to listen to what it had been saying, she found herself thinking that it had very good advice to give. It was like her instincts were given a voice of their own, and sure enough as time went by, she had learned to trust them both.

With her eyes squashed shut, she concentrated with all of her might and willed her magic to obey her, hoping that against all the odds she could overcome this obstacle so as to go to the next step. There was something of a time limit, after all.

She was about three seconds from giving up and taking a break, when all of the sudden she felt as her magic squeezed in all around her and a tiny 'pop' echoed in her ears. It almost felt like a large amount of water was being dumped onto her head and forcing her down, and when her feet finally found the ground again, her leg's turned to jelly and she stumbled and fell over.

Her breath came out in shallow pants as the wind was kicked from her lungs by the impact and the world she perceived around her was quite drastically changed, but otherwise she found herself in alright condition. The grass that she had been sitting on now stood roughly to her hips, and though she had been sitting only a few steps from Callisto it now would take her about twenty steps.

"Wonderful, Sarah! You've done it!" Callisto cheered, clapping enthusiastically as she kneeled in front of her and held out her hand to her.

Sarah climbed into the offered hand and was lifted eye level to Callisto, who still beamed down at her.

"I'll admit I was about to give up, but then...aaaaaaaaaaaaugh!" she screamed mid-sentence, her face contorting into a mask of pain and she clutched at her back. "W-what's happening?!" she cried, dropping to her knee's.

Callisto brought her hand to her chest and made soothing sounds and trying to console her; like a mother would after having poured rubbing alcohol on a wound to cleanse it, there was nothing she could do for Sarah's pain.

"Shh, it's alright, Sarah. Take deep steady breaths, yes, like that. Shhh, it won't last long, I promise." she cooed to Sarah, frowning as her cries of agony echoed through the courtyard, and hoped that the Goblin King hadn't heard them. From the look that he had given Sarah on their way out of his study, she was near positive that the sound of her screams would haunt him for all eternity.

A few moments more and the screams faded into small whimper's before the pain caused her to black out, mercifully sparing her any further pain. Callisto's palm was scratched in a couple places where Sarah had accidentally gouged her with her tiny nails in her suffering and was wet with tears, but she found herself smiling down at the miniature person curled into a ball in her hands, or more specifically, at the pair of long beautiful wings that sprouted from between her shoulder blades.

They were quite a magnificent sight to behold, a mixture so to speak of a dragon and a butterflies wings. They were long and sleek, coming to rest around her knee's, and were shaped like that of a typical dragon, but they seemed coated in a kind of dust and looked like they were fabricated out of silk. A pattern of intricate black swirls decorated outside of both wings, which Callisto thought was rather unique, but what really caught her attention was the color of the wings. As she stood and looked curiously upon them, they rippled like a pool of water disturbed, and went from translucent to a shimmering metallic white, and as she turned her head to examine them further she discovered that the wings would have almost a rainbow effect, depending on how the light hit them.

_'Extraordinary', _Callisto thought to herself as she gazed upon the newly formed fairy, _'Never before have I seen such a pair of wings such as these, but only have read about them in the tomes from our ancestors. She may just be one such fairy blessed with the element of the spirit, if this is any indication.'_

In her palm, Sarah started to stir and wake, gasping in pain as she moved her back and shoulders.

"What...what happened...?" she managed to squeak, her voice hoarse and raw from her screams.

Callisto smiled down at her. "You were born without magic, your body unused to having the foreign substance live and thrive within you. Now that you have magic flowing within you, there will be certain changes, physical and internally, that will take place. Some you may not notice right away, while others you will."

Sarah blinked dumbly at her for a moment, trying her best to absorb the information though her brain felt it was perceiving things through a dense fog, but after a couple of moments the information finally made its way into her brain and rang a bell.

"I recall Jareth saying something to that effect, about how my eyes may change colors, or that my ears might change to have pointed ends. For God's sake, I hope those don't hurt as much as what I just went through!" she exclaimed, running a hand up over her shoulder to rub a now very tender area, but instead of the smooth plains of her shoulder blade, her hand ran into something.

A sense of confusion and fear caused Sarah to whip her head around to inspect her back as best she could, and when her eyes adjusted to new her appendages, she looked them over once and then turned her wide eyes back to Callisto.

"..I...I...have...wings.." she said softly, her voice quivering.

Her only reply was a solemn nod of Callisto's head. She turned her head back around, examining her wings again, noting that her shirt now sported two rather large holes, and then she abruptly covered her mouth with a hand and lowered her head. Callisto could feel tiny vibrations and heard a quiet sniffle, and her heart went out to the tiny girl in her hand.

_'The change must be so overwhelming for her, poor thing.' _

"Sarah, dear, don't cry. Everything will work out just fine, you'll see" she said softly.

But Sarah just shook her head and lifted her glistening eyes to meet hers. "All my life, I've always dreamed to fly. And now, I have wings" she said, a small laugh escaping her lips, though she continued to shed happy tears.

Callisto breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Sarah dry her eyes and crane her head to look at her wings, looking at them with utter wonder and excitement, touching and caressing them as she went.

"What has happened? Where is Sarah?" Jareth's voice brought Callisto's gaze from her hand to the door leading to the courtyard. A tell tale crease in his brow told her that though he may not have heard Sarah's cries, he had most definitely felt her pain. His eyes scanned the courtyard, searching for any signs of Sarah as he impatiently waited for a reply from Callisto.

"Fear not, Goblin King, for I assure you all is well." she stated calmly, walking slowly over to him.

"Then pray do tell why did I feel such intense panic not moments ago?" he nearly barked at her, his heart racing in his chest. He felt her panic and fear almost as if it were his own, and had raced from his desk, scattering papers as he fled the room and made his way to the courtyard as quickly as he could.

"Well, perhaps you would rather Sarah explain rather than me" she said as she held out her hand in front of his face, where Sarah sat with a pair of wings and a smile plastered on her face.

"Sarah?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Look Jareth, I have wings!" she said, beaming up at him.

"So it would seem. Here, let's have a closer look" he said, holding out his palm beside Callisto's.

It took a minute for her to stand properly with her wings, she was a little unbalanced now, but she finally more or less was able to walk from Callisto's bare palm to Jareth's gloved palm, holding onto his raised thumb for support as she let him inspect her.

"A word of advice, Sarah." Callisto started, "your shoulders and back will understandably be quite tender from having the wings newly sprouted. I suggest that once you are able, you should have a nice long hot soak in the tub to ease the pain of the transformation. It will take time for your body to get accustomed and heal, but in no time you will be able to make use of your wings and learn to fly"

A huge smile broke out on Sarah's face, and she turned to Jareth. "Did you hear that? I'm going to learn how to fly!" She was practically bouncing in the palm of his hand, and he chuckled.

"Yes, I heard. And I think that congratulations are in order, as well. I am just sorry that I was not witness to your transformation."

Suddenly feeling very drained, Sarah sat in the Goblin King's hand, mindful of her wings, and smiled sleepily at him. "Thanks. And don't worry about it, I know that you would have been here if you could, and that you have your duties as a king to tend to. I don't blame you, nor do I want you to feel like you are putting anything before me. I do understand, really I do. Just be here when you can, that's all I ask."

He smiled a grateful smile at the tiny woman in his hand, who smiled back up at him, before a tiny yawn escaped her and she drifted off to sleep, still clutching at his thumb.

Jareth couldn't help the tender smile that broke out on his features as he gazed at the sleeping beauty, and in a protective gesture, he slightly cupped his hand and brought it to his chest. His gaze lingered on her for another moment before he turned to Callisto.

"I think that sums up her training for today, I will take her to her room for her to rest in quiet" he said quietly with a smile, and then turned and made his way to the exit.

Callisto bowed her head respectfully as he left, mulling over Sarah's transformation. Her grasp on her magic was quite advanced, though inexperienced, and thus allowed her to make what appeared to be great leaps and bounds in her training.

_'That's good,' _she thought to herself as she turned her gaze Heavenward, _'because we are running out of time. Her destiny looms ever closer each day, and if she is not ready for it by the time it arrives, it will surely crush her underneath its heel and then it will come for the rest of us. Please hear my prayers o spirits of the Above and Under, please, keep the evil forces at bay just a while longer, just until she is more prepared to fight it.'_

She stood a moment more outside, watching as the sun started its trek into evening, and then turned and followed after Jareth, hoping that her prayers would be heard and answered.

AN:

So? What'd you guys think? Again, I really do apologize for the long wait for the chapter. Writers block, thou art a heartless bitch T^T But finally, FINALLY, I was able to sit and have something to write :D Yaaaay! Hope it continues! I really don't like having such long periods where I don't update, but I'm not always able to really control it. So, sorry for the irregular updates, I do try to write often and keep the story interesting and stuff. Hope I don't disappoint ^^


	16. Chapter 16

AN:

Hello, dear readers, I am back with another update that I hope you will all enjoy. I will warn you that it's a bit dark and sad in the beginning, but I hope that the ending will make up for that. I know my updates are lengthy, and I do apologize, but I will not be promising any concrete times of update, as something always seems to happen to knock me off track. November was particularly hard for me, not only with the 4th anniversary of my Grandmother's passing, but on the 17th I had to get one of my cats put to sleep. She was my oldest and dearest friend that had been with me through so much in my life, she was with me for nearly twenty years, and was also my first ever cat. For all intents and purposes, she was like my daughter. It was the single hardest decision I have ever had to make in my life so far, but I am thankful that I could be there with her until the end. So, quite obviously, my mind has been elsewhere as of late. I am thinking of writing shorter chapters, which may help with more frequent updates, but if you would rather have the longer chapters and less frequent updates, let me know.

Merry Christmas

Happy Hanukkah

Happy Kwanzaa

And a happy new year :)

In the veiled darkness, Melantha crept on silent feet to the border of the forest in the lands of the Elvish Kingdom, not caring that where she ventured was what her people considered a cursed and unholy place, a place where only demons dared to lurk. She made no sound as her cloaked figure weaved in between the clustered and gnarled tree's, keen eyes searching for her prey as she walked. Finally, after an hour of searching, she came upon an impressively large tree that had been hallowed out at the bottom by some creature.

A twisted smile morphed her delicate features as she advanced and found precisely what she had been looking for; an aival nest. The aival was a small creature that one may mistake for a small common cat, were it not for it's longer tail and small wings. They were simple foraging creatures that were prized for the magical properties of their blood and pelt and were hunted to near extinction, and the fact that they were shy creatures made them all the more rare.

She crept closer and spotted her prize, a newly born aival, asleep amongst the fallen foliage that its mother must have gathered to keep her baby from sight. But she saw it. Without concern for noise or the baby's comfort, Melantha snatched the sleeping infant and tucked it securely in a sack, the wailing cries only made her smile widen further. Her task complete, she turned on her heel and set off with a purpose.

A few miles away was a cavern that only she knew of, and was where she had spent many hours perfecting her forbidden potions. She entered the cavern, tied the sack with the baby aival to a rack, and started a fire in the middle of the room. Around the fire was a circle of incantations to harness the powers of the dark entities she called upon to magnify her potions potency, written with her own blood.

She discarded her robe and walked to a small table where the pot of her latest concoction sat, bubbling and gurgling every few seconds, and smiled.

"At last, it is time for the next step. Enjoy your life while you still posses it, mortal wench, for upon the arrival of the next full moon in twenty-four days, you will be gone and Jareth shall be mine."

She quickened her pace as she became positively giddy at the thought of Sarah lying dead on the stone floor of the bed chamber, while her and Jareth made passionate love in the bed next to her. She grabbed a metal rack and then her pot and setting it up over the roaring fire, the flames flickered light haphazardly through the dark cave, sending eerie shadows across Melantha's face, lips parted with twisted glee.

As the pot consumed the heat of the fire, the bubbles became more erratic, and at the peak of it's simmering, Melantha grabbed the sack, kneeled down in front of the fire, and began to chant in elvish tongue.

"O dûr fëa en nu amar, eem bein hwesta nîn, lhûg en ast rhun, lhach erulissë en nwalme. O talagand fëa taurë ast Iâ, eem cabor en ëre, hwesta nîn lhach erulissë en asëa. O silme fëa taurë athan ast arda en ciriths, eem alata en ëre, hwesta nîn lhach erulissë en ninniach. Nehm nuquerna, eem idhrin ëre â sereg sûl. O tathar fëas en dûr ambar, eem cabor ëre, hwesta nîn ast erulissë tyuru lith ast fir, Sarah, tyuru Téma."

(Translation: O dark spirit of under ground, I pray grant me, daughter of the east, your power of torment. O malevolent spirit from the abyss, I ask of thee, grant me your power of chaos. O wicked spirit from beyond the realm of nightmares, I beg of thee, grant me your power of misery. In return, I offer thee a blood sacrifice. O unholy spirits of dark fate, I ask ye, grant me the power to send the mortal, Sarah, to Hell.)

As she spoke her last words, she took the screaming and writhing aival, held it over the fire, and slit its throat. Warm blood ran in rivulets over her hand and dripped off of her knuckles into the fire, which despite the moistness, seemed to give the fire fuel. It flared and sparked, burning with an intense heat that seemed to not bother her in the least as she gazed intently at the bright flames that flared out in front of her. And then the room suddenly turned to ice and the fire turned an inky black, save for the center which was glowing bright red, and shrunk down to about half its size, the smoke that rose from it smelling of burning flesh.

Melantha focused her gaze on the glowing center of the fire, her eyes burned and stung from the intensity of its light, but she never broke her gaze. After a moment, the center started to move as if of its own accord, as if something were trapped inside of it. It wriggled and pulsated and she found herself utterly fascinated by it, leaning in closer to inspect it, and as she found herself nearly directly in front of it, a skeletal hand burst out of the center of the flame.

Melantha screeched and pulled back, the dead aival which she was still holding in her grasp was flung and forgotten, her eyes wide and transfixed on the bare appendage in front of her. Its fist was balled and still, as if waiting for her next move, and ever so slowly, she crawled back to her original spot and held her bloody palm open underneath the hand.

The skeletal hand opened and deposited what looked like a small claw into her palm, and then as quickly as it came, the hand retracted back into the flames from whence it came, and the room returned to normal, the only evidence left behind being the stench of burnt flesh.

Melantha examined the claw in her hand. It wasn't very big, but then lethal things often came in small doses. A victorious smile cracked her face as she stood and made her way back to her table to fetch her grinder, kicking the baby aival out of her way as she went, and then returned to the pot that was still simmering on the fire. Gingerly she grated the claw over top of her potion, grinning with wicked delight as the potion absorbed the powdered claw and turned from its deep red color to a clear and odorless liquid.

"Megil aglar, fëas. Eem neleg ohtar aglar." ( Thank you, spirits. I won't disappoint you.) "Now," she said to herself as she patted her hands clean on the hem of her skirt, "all that is left to do is to await the arrival of the full moon, then the potion will be complete. And as soon as Duane returns with the proper ingredients, I can start working on the potion that will make Jareth fall madly in love with me"

Her maniacal laughter bounced off the walls of the cave and echoed out into the forest. Nearby woodland creatures big and small, sensing an evil aura, fled the surrounding area.

A content sigh escaped Sarah's slightly parted lips as her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled sleepily into her pillow and allowed herself a moment to stretch lazily before slowly sitting up. She recalled her happy dream as she allowed her eyes to adjust to the low light of the room, images of her and Jareth walking the passages of his Labyrinth together on a sunny spring day floating in her minds eye, and her smile widened. It had been such a peaceful dream and she rather regretted having to awake from it, flung back into the real world where responsibility and stress plagued her.

But she waved off the negative thoughts and fought to hold onto the serene and peaceful feelings that her dreams had provided her with, recalling how Jareth's smile lit up his face, especially his eyes, and his laughter full of mirth at something she had said but could no longer remember. She continued to re-live her dream as she removed the heavy blanket tried to crawl out of the bed, only to realize with a start that as she tried to swing her legs over the side of the bed, that the side was not there.

'Come to think of it, that blanket was a lot heavier than I remember it being...'

Rubbing the remaining sleep from her eyes, Sarah took a good look at her surroundings. True, she was in her room, in her bed, but she was seeing everything from a different perspective. Namely, everything was huge!

The bed that she slept in was a larger bed than she had back in the Aboveground, true, but this was ridiculous! It looked as if she had been sleeping in some giants bed.

She moved to roll over to her hands and knee's when her shoulders ached in protest, and her memories came back to her. She had successfully shrunk herself down to fairy size and had grown a pair of wings, which her body apparently was attempting to get used to, if her sore shoulders were any indication.

She took a moment to calm herself down, placing a hand over her chest and feeling her rapid heart beat slowly return to normal.

'Too many changes in such a short period.' she thought with a shake of her head.

A few more minutes found Sarah craning her neck back trying to get a better view of her wings, and she briefly wondered how she would use them to fly.

_'Well, no time like the present to to see if I can't at least figure out how to move them.'_

She shrugged and wriggled her shoulders but quickly stopped as her poor muscles reminded her just how sore and tender they were, and so she decided to make tinier movements with her shoulder blades, rotating them gently to see if she could discover the newly developed muscle which was in control of her newly acquired wings.

Suddenly her wings twitched, only a small movement, but it made her smile nonetheless. She tried repeating her movements and they twitched a bit once more, as if they were trying to stretch out. After a few more tries she had to stop as her muscles became increasingly sore, but she was pretty confident that once the majority of her soreness had gone that she would have more success in using her wings.

But first things first. She needed a nice, long, and very hot soak in a tub with something added for muscle relaxation.

_'Yeah, but before I can do that, there's the small issue of being, like, 2 and a half inches tall versus the bed being some 30 inches high off the floor. My wings may be useless right now, but falling and breaking them will make them permanently useless'_

Sarah crawled over to the edge of her bed and peered down, shaking loose the notion that she could safely drop from the bed to the floor, and frowned. In theory she could use the blanket and scale down the side of the bed, but she was not too terribly confident in her ability to keep her grip, especially with sore shoulders. She supposed that she could wait for someone to come and check on her, but a glance out of her window showed that night had fallen, so she wasn't quite sure if it was the middle of the night or not. Her stomach grumbled and she put a hand on it, patience had never really been one of her virtues, and even less so when she was hungry.

She sat back on her legs as she tried to think of a way off of her bed.

_'Stupid floor. If it weren't so hard it wouldn't be a problem just to jump down...of course! If I had something to land on to cushion my fall, it wouldn't *be* a problem to jump down!'_

Smiling and happy to have a course of action, she stood and made her way behind her pillow, and taking hold of one end, started pushing on it. She managed to move it a bit, but she was more successful in taking the wind out of her lungs than anything else. She glared at her pillow for a moment, but even with the knowledge that there were many strange things in the Underground, pillows simply did not get up and move by themselves. So she went to the other end and yanked it, which thankfully was a more useful tactic than pushing, and finally she got it positioned on the edge.

She took a moment to catch her breath before she went around to the opposite side to push the pillow off the edge, but once again, it was a lot harder going than pulling it. She managed to get one half off the side, which in turn raised the end still on the bed, but then it seemed to catch on something which only served to grate on her nerves further, and she scowled.

"Alright, fine! You wanna play hard ball? I'm game" she practically growled, backing away a couple feet, still glaring daggers.

She took a few short breaths before she took off at a run towards the pillow, a little awkwardly because of the soft sheets, but it didn't phase her pace. She tackled the pillow hard and smiled with satisfaction as the pillow seemed to give way and finally was sent over the edge and to the floor, but her smile faded when she realized that her momentum had taken her precariously close to the edge. Her eyes widened as her head tipped somewhat forward, which not only gave her a rather frightening view of the drop before her, but also served to make her feel light headed and knock her even more off balance. She was on the balls of her feet, her arms spread wide and trying to tip herself backwards and wishing that she hadn't let her temper get the better of her.

True, she did plan on jumping from the bed onto the pillow below, but she had also planned on aiming. Thoughts of the pillow landing further away from the bed than she planned flew through her mind. But despite all of her efforts and to her horror, she felt herself slowly start to tip forward, and was powerless to stop the movement.

She squeezed her eyes shut, unwilling to watch her descent, and couldn't help recalling the last time she had jumped from such a height with her eyes closed just as she took the leap. Although she rather doubted that this fall would end in her falling slowly to the ground, touching down softly on her feet.

It seemed to take forever for her to fall completely over the edge, but only seconds for the rest of it, and she found herself, thankfully, landing face first into her pillow with a soft 'whoosh' as the air was driven from her lungs from the impact.

She lay like that for a few moments, clutching the fabric of the pillow and thanking whoever had been looking over her that she hadn't landed face first on the stone floor, and slowly let her breathing even back out.

_'Well, at least I'm off the bed' _she chuckled inwardly, scooching herself to the end of the pillow and then finally standing on the floor. _"Now then, how am I going to get out of this room?"_

She walked the short (now made a bit longer) distance to the door and craned her neck to look forlornly at the door handle, so very far away from her grasp.

_'Things are not always what they seem in this place, so you can't take anything for granted' _a warm voice with a slight accent reminded her, and she cracked a grin. Alright, so she couldn't reach the handle of the door, but that didn't mean that was her only way out. She was currently eying the only other means of escape, the window, when a warm breeze whispered across her skin, carrying a delicious aroma that she couldn't quite place.

She turned her head and tried to locate the source of the breeze and found that it came from the bottom of the door, where there was a space perhaps just big enough for a fairy to squeeze through, and her grin widened. It would seem as though her lucky streak hadn't run out just yet, which she was very grateful for, as luck and her gut instincts had gotten her through most of her life.

Getting down on her hands and knees. she tried to better judge if she could indeed fit under the door, and decided that it looked like a close enough fit. She flattened herself out on her stomach and started to army crawl under the door, mindful of her head and shoulders as she did so, but she had forgotten about her wings, which she was quickly reminded of when they hit the door.

She grimaced in pain as she turned as far as she could to look back to assess the situation, and was pleased when she found that she merely had to tuck her wings in just a tiny bit in order for her to fit properly. It was easier said than done, of course, and was not entirely pain free, but she somehow managed, as she always seemed to. The rest of her body came under the door without another hitch, and she stood and wiped her hands, smirking at the large wooden door as if it had been a master mind and she had just outwitted it.

But a win was a win, and so with her head held high, she turned and headed off towards the kitchens to check if anybody was awake and willing to feed a poor hungry human-turned-changling-turned-fairy.

She was just nearing the end of the hallway when she suddenly froze in her steps, eyes darting around the hallway as she became hyper aware of her surroundings.

_'Something is wrong here...' _she thought, the hair on the nape of her neck standing at attention.

She crept slowly towards the wall and pressed her back against it, glancing up and then back down the dimly lit corridor, trying to pierce through the darkness with her eyes, but seeing nothing. She moved slowly, never letting her back leave the wall, and continually checking up the corridor and then down. But still she saw nothing out of the ordinary, and was beginning to wonder if it just had something to do with her transformation, if her magic was feeling more 'trapped' in her smaller stature. Or maybe perhaps it was because she was alone in a dimly lit hallway that she was barely familiar with?

As many reasons as she came up with in an attempt to shake the horrid feeling of absolute wrongness, her body outright refused, remaining alert and tense.

Then, just ahead of her in a corner, she spotted movement. Truthfully she would have missed it had she not been scanning every inch of the hallway thoroughly, the movement was barely there, but she had seen it. She stopped and tried to flatten herself even more against the wall, mindful of her wings, not wanting to be seen by whatever it was as she knew instinctively it was dangerous.

_' I wish that I had somewhere to hide. A dark crevice or a hole or even a dark shadow, or anything to conceal my presence, but...'_

She never got a chance to finish her thought as the solid wall behind her that she had been trying to flatten herself against, hoping that she would go unnoticed, suddenly opened up and swallowed her with a small yelp of surprise.

Managing to keep her footing and blinking in rapid succession as her eyes adjusted to the dimmer light, she wondered if she had gone from the frying pan into the fryer.

_'Be at ease, Sarah. It was I who reconstructed the piece of wall to hide you in.' _the familiar and beautiful voice of the Labyrinth spoke inside of her mind, and she sighed with relief.

She was about to open her mouth to thank her, but the Labyrinth cut her off.

_'Ssh, be silent now. It comes.' _It warned.

Sarah nodded solemnly, backing away from the opening and into the darkness, waiting for the creature to make its appearance.

She didn't have to wait long. In the middle of the corridor, it suddenly appeared, and she stiffened. It looked no more than a big rat, but she knew better, though she didn't know exactly what it was, she knew it wasn't just a plain rat. For starters, as far as appearances, this thing was an inky black. It looked like a shadow that had manifested and had a mind of its own. She stared intently at the thing, trying to figure out what it was, when it's head suddenly whipped around towards her and she had to stifle a scream.

The only part of it that was not black, it would seem, were its eyes, which were a glowing red. She covered her mouth with both of her hands and squashed herself against a wall, trying to keep any sounds from escaping her lips. For a moment she thought that she had been discovered, the shadow rat, as she had dubbed it, seemed to be looking straight at her.

_ 'Do not fear, for it cannot see, hear nor sense you, though you can see and hear it.'_

She nodded, her hand traveling from her mouth to her heart where she felt its rapid beat. She stayed still as the shadow rat looked up and down the corridor, its eyes seeming to be able to see more accuratley in the dim light. She thought of another creature she had met recently with red eyes, and it made her shiver, and then she wondered if it were a mere coincidence or not. Surely such things happened here, too.

The shadow rat was suddenly on the move again, and she was compelled to see where it was headed, and so she came to the edge of her small hiding place, not willing to breach the barrier unless she really had to. She saw the thing scamper down the hallway and then stop in between her door and Jareth's, looking back and fourth in between the two, almost like it was deciding which one it wanted to go to.

Her eyes narrowed, she could see the intelligence behind its movements, and didn't like it one bit. It seemed to eye her door with mild curiosity, but what made her heart stop was when it turned its head towards Jareth's door and then started to advance. For some reason that she couldn't quite place, Sarah felt that it was of the utmost importance that the shadow rat not get into Jareth's bed chambers, her instincts were practically screaming at her to stop it.

But how was she to stop it? She was about the same size as it was, and had no real grasp of any magical abilities, and knew that she couldn't physically over power the thing.

_'But it must be stopped! It must not be allowed to enter Jareth's bed chambers!' _her mind screamed.

Her fingers gripped the wall so that her knuckles were turning white as she helplessly watched as the shadow rat advanced on the door, her mind screaming for her to do something, anything, but what could she do?

_'Wish for it, Sarah!' _The Labyrinth spoke quickly. _'Wish for it, and your wish shall be granted.'_

_ 'I wish that Jareth's bed chambers were barred from any evil ever entering it!'_

No sooner had she thought the wish than a blinding white light enveloped the door, and then disappeared just as quickly, though Sarah was sure that she could feel a faint thrumming of magical power emanating from it.

_'It is done'_ the Labyrinth assured her, and she felt herself sigh in relief. Whatever that thing was, it clearly wanted into Jareth's bed chambers, and she just couldn't allow it.

Her relief was short lived when the shadow rat suddenly turned around, scanning the hallways, and she retreated back into the shadows. She was pretty sure that it knew it wasn't alone in the corridor, but was rather assured of her safety. After all, the Labyrinth had told her that it could neither see nor sense her, so it couldn't find her. But that didn't stop it from trying, either.

It lowered it's tiny nose to the ground and began to sniff around, and though it drifted here and there, it was mainly coming right to the place in the wall where the Labyrinth had erected its barrier.

_'Awh, shit!' _

She idly wondered if she had any luck remaining for the day as the shadow rat steadily got closer and closer to her hiding spot, practically zeroing in on it, much to Sarah's dismay. But then it stopped.

_'What...what is it doing? Why did it just stop?' _she wondered to herself, watching as its tiny ears swiveled around and then perked up.

A moment later she understood, as she felt and heard footsteps coming this way.

_'Well, apparently I *do* have a bit of luck left, after all.'_

The shadow rat gave one last glance to the spot where Sarah was hiding before scurrying away, back into the shadows from whence it came. And as soon as it left from sight, Sarah's sixth sense turned off and all was normal again.

"What was that?" she wondered aloud.

_'I am not sure, exactly, but it has been roaming within the castle walls for the past couple of hours. I had been watching it closely, uncertain whether to alert the King or leave it be, when you happened to cross its path.'_

"I think...I think it's searching for something...I don't trust it. It feels evil."

_'I think you are right, Sarah. Though to strengthen my defenses in and around the castle may lessen the chances of finding out what it wants here, but I will not leave you without protection. I shall strengthen the barriers on your room as well, but it will only apply to your room and not the rest of the castle in an attempt to observe the creature.'_

Sarah nodded. "I understand, thank you."

She left the safety of the hole created for her and discovered that the footsteps that she heard were a little female goblin wandering the halls, a cute thing with a mop of shaggy red hair, if one could call goblins cute.

"Hey! Excuse me! Down here!" Sarah shouted, waving her arms above her head as she tried to get the goblins attention.

"Eeh? Ooh! You be the Lady, arent'chya?"

"Yes, I am. Please, would you mind taking me to the kitchens? I'm afraid I've missed dinner and I could do with something small to eat."

"Naaaah, Lady didn't miss dinner. Dinner be served shortly. Does Lady want Elva to take her to dining hall?"

"That would be greatly appreciated, Elva"

Elva smiled and placed a hand down on the ground for Sarah to climb into, holding the hand to her chest as she turned and began the trek to the dining hall.

"By the way, Elva, I have a question for you"

"A question? For Elva?"

"Yes. I was wondering if you had seen any small creatures wandering around the castle lately? Like a rat, perhaps?"

Elva cocked her head to the side as she thought, but eventually shook her head. "Nopes. Elva has seen no rats in the castle. Rats afraid of goblins, keep away to forest. Why ask?"

"Oh, I had just thought I saw a big black rat earlier on, and I didn't want it to wreck anything in the castle. Maybe you should tell the other goblins to watch out for it, just in case it comes back.'

Elva nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes, Elva will tell others. No want nasty rats in castle."

Sarah nodded. "No, we don't want that. Thank you, Elva."

Elva talked all the way to the dining hall, mostly about random things, while Sarah listened and replied when necessary. She hadn't really thought the goblins to be such conversationalists, but clearly she had been wrong, at least about this particular goblin.

Not that it was a bad thing, quite the opposite, Sarah found the little goblin's chattering about the castle and the Labyrinth quite entertaining and helpful. She had previously thought that the only people who knew how to navigate the Labyrinth so well were Jareth and Hoggle, having asked many creatures on her journey before and having no real luck, but Elva seemed to know quite a fair amount on the subject.

On the whole, goblins seemed like rather slow witted and simple children, their focus holding for only a short period of time before wandering off. But now she thought that maybe she had gone about talking to them all the wrong way, just as she had the first time she had met Hoggle. Maybe she just needed to ask the right questions to gain the appropriate information from them.

But she would have to wait to test that theory, as Elva announced her presence to the dining hall where Jareth and Queen Callisto sat, smiling at her.

Elva held her hand first to the chair at the table, but then seemed to think better of it, and moved her hand to the table instead.

"Thank you, Elva." Sarah said as crawled from the hand to the table, smiling up at the goblin who positively beamed back at her.

"Yous welcome, Lady! Any time you need Elva, just call, and Elva will come."

Sarah nodded and waved as Elva curtsied to the King and Queen respectively, and then exited the room.

Callisto was the first to speak.

"How are you feeling, Sarah?"

"Sore, but overall much better. Thank you"

"How ever did you make it out of your room in that size?" A bemused Jareth asked, quirking an eye at her.

She blushed faintly as she told her story, faint pink turning to almost deep crimson as Jareth's smile broadened and his eyes twinkled with mirth at her story.

He chuckled as her story came to a finish. "I always knew that you were imaginative and determined, Sarah, and you never cease to prove it."

She smiled at him. "Thank you"

"But I think it may be wise to put you back to your normal height for now, as you will need your energy for training tomorrow, and you won't consume the necessary nutrition needed to sustain you in that form." he continued, laying a gloved hand in front of her.

Much to Jareth's delight, she crawled into his hand without any sort of hesitation and held onto his fingers as he moved them from the table to the middle of the room, and put her down. Callisto followed behind them, and kneeled down in front of her.

"Do you recall how you achieved the transformation, Sarah?" she asked.

She nodded. "Yes. I covered myself in a thin layer of my magic and then pulled it into my magical center."

Callisto nodded. "Excellent. So now, all you need to do, is the reverse. Pull your magic out from your magical center and then layer it over your entire body."

Sarah nodded, and after receiving an encouraging nod from Jareth, she closed her eyes and began the deep breathing that she was becoming accustomed to doing as she practiced using her magical abilities.

She was quickly learning how to find her magical center and move it from there through her body, and this time was basically the same, only this time there was a small 'pop' in her ears as her magic spilled from her center. Really, the only trouble she had now was getting the magic to spread and stick to where she had placed it, rather than stick to the rest of the magic that was moving through over top of it.

But this process was surprisingly less difficult that shrinking, and she felt her body grow and expand, although a little to quickly for her. Suddenly a feeling of vertigo hit her and she wobbled on shaky legs, putting a hand to her head in an attempt to stop the room from spinning.

Jareth steadied her while she regained her bearings, and as quickly as it came, it passed. Sarah straightened herself out, thanking Jareth for his assistance, and smiling at Callisto who now stood in front of her.

"Well done, Sarah. You have now successfully completed both aspects of transformation. I suggest you practice transforming back and fourth until it becomes more effortless, but always in the presence of either myself, His Majesty, or Queen Titania."

Sarah nodded.

"Also," Jareth spoke, "you may wish to fit Sarah with some clothes that would best accommodate her status as a fairy, as these ones seem not up to the task"

Sarah was rather confused as to what Jareth meant, that is until she turned her head to look at him and saw his eyes rather fixated on her back, his lips upturned slightly.

Then she remembered. Her wings had torn holes into her shirt, though she was unsure how large the holes were, they apparently were enough to capture Jareth's attention quite thoroughly. Her first instinct was to blush and turn her back from him, but the shyness that she felt was short lived, which was curious as his gaze had usually made her want to squirm in her seat like a school girl with a crush.

Instead, she craned her head back and felt the holes in the back of her shirt, not missing the way Jareth's pupils dilated just a bit when she stroked the tender skin of her shoulder blade and feeling a sort of smug satisfaction from it.

"Oh yeah, I was sure that the wings had ripped holes in my shirt, but I couldn't really see how big the holes were. Can they be repaired, Jareth?" she asked, looking back at him and smoothing away the grin she wore before he could see it.

"Yes, they can. Though it pains me to loose such a lovely view." he admitted with a saucy grin.

_'Oh my God, I can't believe I'm openly flirting with him! And in front of Callisto, no less! Though, it's not as awkward as I always thought it might be. It's almost...natural to flirt with him."_

A hearty chuckle behind her brought Sarah's attention back to Callisto, who was quirking an eyebrow as she looked back and fourth between her and Jareth. Then she did blush, but only faintly.

"I will send word to Avalon to have my tailor sent for so as to make you a proper dress as a fairy, but for now, I'm sure we can mend this shirt". She motioned Sarah over to her, which she did, but not before a casual roll of her shoulders as she walked. She missed how Jareth's nostrils flared slightly and the predatory grin that crossed his features.

_'Little minx.' _he thought as he watched her move her hair to one side so as to give Callisto a proper view of the damage done to the shirt.

After her shirt had been fixed they were seated and chatted pleasantly as dinner was served. Sarah still couldn't quite believe that she had been so bold as to openly flirt with the Goblin King, but she smiled with satisfaction and congratulated herself on not stuttering like a fool in front of him. She was a woman, not a teenager, and flirting with handsome men shouldn't pose that much of a problem to her. Even if that man *was* the king of goblins and *did* in fact make her blush and stutter like a teenager.

_'Well, you know what they say, "practice makes perfect".'_

Instead of the usual defiance, she found the prospect of being more flirtatious with Jareth rather, dare she say, appealing. She couldn't help the wicked grin that turned her lips upward, nor the turn of her eyes towards him. She happened to catch his eyes briefly, and what she did next caught even her by surprise. She winked at him and then turned back to her meal.

Jareth stared at her for a moment longer before grinning and turning back to his meal. It would seem that Sarah was slowly coming out of her shell, and that was a very interesting and welcome turn of events indeed.


	17. Chapter 17

Ritsa winced sympathetically as she heard Sarah hiss in pain as she changed from behind a changing screen, reaching over for a jar of muscle relaxants and adding it to the swirling waters of the bathtub. Two weeks had passed since Sarah's first transformation success, and it had been added to her regular magical training, but the constant forming of her wings and learning how to use them were causing her shoulders and back to grow tense and sore. And this was just the start, she hadn't even tried using her wings for flying yet, just basic movements. Sarah had also confided in her one day during which Ritsa had brought her lunch, that Jareth wanted to start her with weapons training, though they weren't sure as to the particular weapon that she would be using just yet.

She shook her head. There was so much pressure on Sarah, so much that was expected of her. When she had first been assigned as Sarah's personal maid, she had worried that the weight of her responsibilities might end up crushing her under their heel in the end. But as she came to know Sarah better, she changed her mind. Yes, her burden's may be great and many, but she had a determined spirit that wouldn't be destroyed easily.

She smiled as Sarah finally came out from behind the screen with a towel wrapped around her, her face half contorted into a grimace, but she managed a weak smile at Ritsa.

"Thank you, Ritsa. I've been dreaming about this bath all day."

"You're welcome. I'll leave you to it then, and if you need anything, I do believe Elva is standing guard outside your bedroom door."

Sarah chuckled fondly, thinking of the little female goblin who had barely left her side since they had met, and had since taken a personal oath to protect her no matter where she went. Which Jareth, naturally, found to be quite amusing.

"First Didymus, the beast and Higgle" he started, counting three fingers out on his black leather gloved hands.

"Hoggle" she corrected him automatically, but he continued on as if he hadn't heard, though a small quirk of his lips told her otherwise.

"And now Ritsa, Gwen and Elva. Tell me, Sarah, how many other subjects of mine do you intend to ensnare with your charms, or will you graciously leave me with a few?"

She had laughed at his teasing. "You forgot your mom"

"Ah yes, how could I forget that even my own mother is not immune, and seems quite taken with you."

Sarah shrugged and smiled brightly up at him, enjoying the teasing banter, but it didn't last.

"Come along now, dear, time to get back to your training." Callisto had called to her.

Sarah came back to her senses and nodded. "Thanks again, Ritsa. I really do appreciate it."

Ritsa smiled and nodded, then left Sarah to her own devices.

She unwrapped the towel from around her body and set it on a small stool off to the side of the tub, and carefully crawled into the hot soapy waters, moaning and hissing as the heated water crawled up her body and turned where it touched pink. Finally she sighed as she lay back and let the hot water work its magic on her sore and tense body, enjoying the tranquility.

She had sudden urge to chuckle as she thought of her situation. Here she was, in the middle of the Goblin Kingdom, the one place that had completely unnerved her the first time she had been here, with the Goblin King, the one person that had both frightened and enthralled her all at once, doing the absolute last thing she thought that she would ever do if she ever came back: sitting and relaxing in a bathtub, totally at ease like nothing at all was wrong with this picture.

She did chuckle then. Oh, how things had changed for her. This place seemed to have that effect on her, it would seem.

_'Or maybe this place just really forces you to grow up, to stand back, take off the rose-tinted glasses and look at the big picture, not just the parts that you want to see. And thinking on it, it's not just this place that has that effect, either, but certain people, too. Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus, and Jareth. Each had a lesson to teach you.'_

As soon as she thought of Jareth, she couldn't help but suspiciously glance at the seemingly innocent looking bubbles that floated in heaps around her. At one time, she wouldn't have put it past him to try to sneak a miniature version of his crystals into her bathtub, hoping that it would go unnoticed. But since she had returned, he had been nothing but a gentleman, and that had gone a long way with her.

That had been when she really looked at Jareth for the first time, really looked at him. There had been so many misunderstandings between them, for a while it felt like she was constantly stepping on glass around him, and the nervous energy surrounding them was nearly suffocating. But after they had gotten everything out in the open and she gained some insight into the method to his madness, the tension dissipated and eventually disappeared. She felt herself warm up to him as they ventured into the realm of friendship, growing more comfortable with him and this land as the days past.

It felt like home.

She had no more than thought the words when the tender smile she had was replaced with a deep frown, and almost immediately she could feel the tears pricking from behind her eyelids.

Home. Toby. Her father. Irene. Her friends. The Aboveground.

Though she felt a sense of comfort here that the Aboveground had never provided her with, even before her first journey through the Labyrinth, the Underground could not replace the ties that she had Aboveground.

Sarah suddenly felt like she was being ripped in half, as if she was in actual physical pain, and she brought shaky hands to her chest.

The Aboveground was where she was raised, where she had spent her life, where she had started to make a place to call her own. She had family there and dreams and goals that she had hoped to one day see accomplished.

But the Underground, that was where she had the most growth, and the most profound and deep ties to friends. This place was so full of wonder and magic that she couldn't help but be drawn to it, it was as if her entire being craved the Underground world and all its beings. It was also the place where she had never felt more alive, not only from the adventures that she seemed destined to have, but because of Jareth. He made her feel alive like no one else had, or likely ever would. Even just thinking about him made her nerve endings tingle with anticipation, and the thought of leaving him and his world made her heart break.

Both worlds were so important to her, both were like her home, each having their own significant role in her life, but she could not be in both places at once. What would she choose once her duty as the battle maiden had been fulfilled?

Aboveground? Or Underground?

Anxiety wound its way up through her chest, squeezing her heart and lungs as her mind filled with faces of people whom she dearly cared for, painted out in scowls or teary eyes as she broke the news to them that she wasn't staying in their world. And no matter which place she chose, she would be breaking others hearts, as well as her own.

Her eyes, blurry with tears, settled upon a bubble that rested on her leg, turning it an almost peachy color. And that was when a memory struck her, making her wonder if she had a choice at all when it came to where she would spend the rest of her life.

_"What do you mean she has no choice, Jareth?" Titania had asked her son, gazing at him through slightly narrowed eyes._

_ "I mean that she is bound to the Labyrinth, and myself. She is a subject of the Labyrinth, and while I thank you for seeing to her needs as of late, I am exercising my right to bring her back to my castle with me."_

_ "I suppose this has something to do with that secondary spell on the fruit when Sarah first ventured into the Labyrinth, correct?" Titania asked as she stared down her son._

_ He nodded. "It does."_

_ "A spell of bonding, if I am not mistaken. It is a spell that binds two people together in heart, body and soul. Once this spell is cast, the two can never be separated for very long at a time." she explained, narrowing her eyes at her son._

_ "There is nothing that can be done. The spell is cast and the deed is done, you are a citizen of the Goblin Kingdom, whether you like it or not." Jareth said sternly._

Jareth's spell of bonding meant that she was bound to not only the Labyrinth, but to Jareth, and even if he let her to return Aboveground, would the spell he cast allow it? According to what Titania had said, she really rather doubted it.

So, she was effectively stuck, unless of course the spell could be removed.

But a part of her wondered if she really wanted it removed.

_'Seems like even if the spell hadn't bonded you to Jareth, that you have already made up your mind on where you would stay.'_

A sigh escaped her lips. Though she had been born Aboveground and had her family there, in her heart she knew that she could not survive there. Her heart would be full of agony and she would slowly wither away, her inner flame would die slowly until it was finally extinguished, and her heart would continue to crack and shatter painfully every single day for the rest of her life, how ever long that may be, until she was finally put out of her misery. And depending how well her sanity held out, perhaps she would end up taking her own life.

_'Whoa, whoa, whoa! Negative and morbid much? Maybe you need to get out of the tub before you get any crazy idea's...'_

She glared at the bubbles as if they had committed a personal offense, and promptly crossed her arms over her chest.

It wasn't as if she was seriously considering something drastic like that, she was just venting, but apparently the part of her mind that seemed to have a consciousness of its own -which when she thought about it was more than a bit disturbing- obviously seemed rather worried for her sanity.

But she _had_ been quite dramatic in her thoughts, and she realized now that she had started to drown in her depression and anxiety. Perhaps that voice of hers spoke up to break her free from the negativity and bring her back to reality.

Alright, so given the choice between world's, she had picked the Underground. That didn't necessarily mean that she would never seen the Aboveground and her family again, right? If Jareth could go Aboveground, then why couldn't she? And if she couldn't, then she was sure that Jareth would take her to let her visit.

_'Why hadn't I thought of visiting before? Really! Sometimes I swear that I automatically look for the negative things instead of the positive.'_

She shook her head and grabbed the soap, determined to enjoy the rest of her bath.

She wouldn't be loosing a world or family or friends, but gaining them instead. Sure, she might not be able to live full time in the Aboveground as she once had, but she wouldn't loose the bonds that she had there.

A small part of her brain wondered just how she could choose so quickly, to a place that she had barely lived in, and people that she was just getting to know.

But that small part of her mind spoke up gently, _'Because you didn't choose with your brain. You chose with your heart, and the heart wants what the heart wants, there is no place for logic within the heart.'_

Her mind relented finally and for a glorious hour and a half, Sarah soaked in the bathwater and washed slowly with care, and sooner than she cared for the temperature of the water was too cool and she finally drained the tub and got out. She inhaled deeply of the scents of her soap and shampoo as she wrapped her towel back around her body, grabbed another one to dry out her hair and headed out to her bedroom, wondering briefly if she could persuade the cooks to make her some of the honey cakes that she had become so fond of for a bedtime snack.

She had barely sat down at the chair in front of her vanity mirror when a series of knocks disrupted her thoughts, so with a small adjustment to her towel she allowed the person entrance.

"Lady, Elva knows that it's late, but yous has visitors. Shall Elva tells them to wait 'till morning?"

"No, that's alright. Thank you, Elva." Sarah smiled at the goblin warmly, watched as she puffed out her chest with pride at a task well done, and then allowed her visitors entrance to the room.

"Sister, we are so happy to see you!" Aarya cried as she flew into the room, followed by Selene and Damara.

"Oh, what a pleasant surprise this is!" Sarah beamed at the fairies as they landed on the vanity chest. "What brings you all here?"

They all held out an armful of clothes to her.

"Majesty Callisto has had these clothes fashioned for you, and she let us bring them to you" Aarya's smile broadened.

"More like you begged that we could bring them" Damara giggled behind a hand when Aarya shot her an irritated look.

"Also, Her Majesty has given us a task. She wishes us to help you with learning to use your wings" Selene spoke up, laying down the clothes carefully and rustling her own set of dark colored wings.

"Wow, that's wonderful! Callisto has been teaching me basic movements and such, but we have been concentrating more on my magical control and doing small things, like creating objects and then un-creating them, and re-sizing myself back and fourth."

"I cannot wait to see your wings, Sarah! I bet they are beautiful!" Aarya gushed. "But it is getting late, and you should get some rest."

"I was just on my way to get a bedtime snack before bed, which now that I think about it, I don't even need to bother the cooks now. Aarya, you can teach me how to make honey cakes."

"Of course! We'll make the best batch of honey cakes ever!" Aarya fluttered excitedly back and fourth, making Sarah giggle as she got up from her seat.

"Excellent, just let me get dressed first and then we'll get going."

A couple minutes later Sarah re-emerged wearing a loose fitting short sleeved light grey nightgown that looked like it had been a t-shirt at some point, cutting off a bit above the knee, and her hair done up in a quick and slightly messy bun.

She was slipping on a pair of slippers when Damara piped up.

"What's that?"

Sarah quirked an eyebrow. "What' what?"

"That. What you're wearing."

"Oh," she looked down at herself and then back at Damara. "My nightgown?"

"It does not look like any nightgown I have ever seen" Selene said, looking Sarah up and down.

"I'll bet. This is what a lot of girls in the Aboveground usually wear to bed, some girls wear fancier kinds of clothes to bed, and some girls don't wear anything at all" Sarah shrugged, but the fairies looked shocked.

"Nothing at all?!" Aarya cried, her eyes wide.

"How could that possibly be comfortable?" Selene asked.

"Or warm" Damara added.

Sarah just shrugged again. "Different people like different things. Actually, it's kind of nice to wear some of the more revealing night clothes, kind of fun, you know?"

The three fairies all looked at each other, and then back at Sarah and shook their heads at her.

"Really? That's a shame. When I was growing up I always loved to dress up in fancy clothes and pretty shoes, it made me feel more womanly and confident."

She made her way over to the door as she talked, opening it for her friends and letting them fly out first before shutting it behind her.

"Where is Lady going?" Elva questioned.

"Just to the kitchen to get a snack, Elva."

"Okay, but Lady should come back soon for bed. Lady needs her sleep"

"I promise I will try not to be too long, Elva. We're just going to make a snack and then come right back. You really don't need to stay there, you should get some rest, too."

"Elva will go to sleep after Lady goes to sleep."

Sarah smiled at her. "Very well, Elva. We'll try not to be too long."

Finally getting used to the layout of the castle, Sarah was able to get around without the near constant help from goblins or the Labyrinth, which was almost as great a feat as navigating through the Labyrinth!

When they finally reached the kitchens, they were silent and slightly dark, but warm. The fire they kept going to keep the rooms of the castle warm was starting to dwindle, but nothing that Sarah couldn't handle. She found a couple medium sized candles and lit them, then turned to Selene and Damara.

"Do you guys mind lighting the sconces for me?"

"Not at all." Damara said for the both of them, both taking a candle and gently set off to accomplish their task.

"What should I do, sister?" Aarya asked, reminding Sarah of Toby, always wanting to help.

"Could you please start getting the things we'll need to bake the cakes? You're the expert, after all."

Aarya beamed at her and then flew off.

Sarah smiled to herself as she hefted a couple pieces of wood into the fire and watched it grow brighter, and she briefly thought about how depressed she had been earlier, but now her mood grew bright much like the fire did.

She looked back as Damara and Selene were lighting the last of the sconces, and Aarya was carrying a few different ingredients to the counter, and mentally thanked the Gods above for blessing her with such wonderful and caring friends. Her life had become a whole lot more complicated in the last little while, but if not for her friends, new and old, she didn't think that she would have made it so far.

_'Alright, enough with the sappy crap, I'm in the mood for food!'_

It took them forty five minutes to whip up the batter for the honey cakes, which normally only took twenty minutes to a half an hour, but a small scale food fight had broken out when Damara accidentally splattered Aarya with batter from her overly vigorous mixing. Selene had tried her best to stay out of it, but in the end the other two had teamed up, which resulted in Selene getting a spoonful of flour dumped on her head in mid-air. Even Sarah was not immune to getting a dusting of flour or a splatter of batter, to which she retaliated by dipping her fingers in a bowl of nearby water and flicking them with it.

After they had finally got the cakes in the oven they started their clean up, which naturally took them longer than it should have, and by the time they were finished cleaning the cakes were done.

Sarah retrieved a basket from a bottom cupboard and placed the cakes inside, with a couple of plates, and covered it with a blanket. Then she walked over towards the wall and placed her hand gently upon the stones.

"_Good evening"_

_ "And good evening to you, Sarah. What can I do for you?" _The Labyrinth spoke gently and lovingly to her, like a mother speaking to her child.

_"I was wondering if you could tell me if Jareth was still awake or not."_

The Labyrinth was silent for a couple moments, and then spoke again.

_"His Majesty is indeed awake, in his study."_

_ "Is he busy at all? I wanted to take him some of these honey cakes, but I do not wish to disturb him"_

Sarah could almost feel the Labyrinth smile. _"He seems to be doing some sort of paper work, but I am sure that he would not mind a visit, especially from you"_

Sarah smiled shyly, thanked the Labyrinth for its help, and then the four of them left the kitchen. Half way back to her room, Sarah spoke.

"Would you guys mind going back to my room without me, and let Elva know I'll be there in a moment? I wanted to stop by Jareth's study for a minute."

Aarya and Damara both gave her a knowing grin, while Selene's eyes merely twinkled, but they said nothing as they gave a nod of their head and flew off towards her room.

A couple of corridors later, Sarah found Jareth's study, and after grabbing out a few honey cakes and setting them on a plate, she timidly knocked on the door. She practically held her breath as she waited for Jareth to answer the door, and for a minute she thought he was going to ignore it altogether, but then the door slowly opened.

A smirk worked its way across his lips when he recognized Sarah's small frame in the dim lights of the hallways.

"Well, well, what have we here? A pleasant surprise, I must say" he said, his lithe body resting against the frame of the door.

"Me and my friends made a late night snack, and I thought you might like some." she smiled up at him as she offered the plate.

He took the plate, but his eyes never left hers. "Which friends? I cannot imagine the beast nor Hotchpotch knowing how to do anything but make a mess in the kitchen."

"Hoggle" she corrected with a smirk, "and I'm referring to the friends I made in Avalon, fairies, they came to deliver the clothes Callisto had made up for me. And besides learning how to make these honey cakes for myself, they are also going to help me learn how to fly."

"Ah, speaking of which, I have had a special room made up for when you were to learn that. The floor is padded so that you will not hurt yourself, should you fall. I will show it to you after breakfast tomorrow."

"How thoughtful. Thank you, Jareth."

Jareth leaned over her, using his free hand to take a stray lock of her hair that escaped from her bun, and smiled down at her.

"You're welcome, precious"

He had no more than whispered the few words, but he was so close that she could feel the vibrations of his voice all through her body, and she shivered delightfully.

"By the way," he continued, releasing her hair and cupping her cheek. Sarah's breath hitched in her throat as she stared intently into his eyes, her body leaning slightly into his touch without her even realizing it. "what is this on your cheek?"

Sarah's eyes, which had started to close, suddenly snapped open at his question. She lifted her hand to her cheek, not even noticing when her fingers slid over his, but zeroing in instead on a dry crusty patch of batter that she had missed on the lower half of her cheek when she was cleaning herself off.

"That," she sighed, "would be a bit of cake batter that I apparently over looked when I was washing the rest of the batter and flour off."

Jareth grinned and quirked an eyebrow. "Was there an even that perhaps I should have been invited to?"

She giggled, wiping off the batter as best as she could with the back of her hand. "No. The fairies got a little excited during our baking and started a small food fight, that's all."

A throaty chuckle escaped Jareth's lips. "I guess I have misjudged them, they are more like the goblins then I had originally thought."

Sarah couldn't help but giggle again, wondering just how offended the fairies might be if they knew that Jareth had compared them to his goblins, but it was cut short when she was reminded of where Jareth's hand still was cupping when he started to stroke her cheek.

Slowly she lifted her gaze to meet his, his stormy gaze boring deep into hers as he gently let his fingers wander across her cheek and down her neck. She shivered again and knew that he felt it when his eyes sparkled and his grin became like a predators. He slowly inclined his head towards her, stopping just before his lips would meet hers, as if checking to make sure he wasn't crossing a line with her. But when he received no hesitation from her, he closed the distance and softly pressed his lips against hers.

It was amazing. For the brief moment that he kissed her, it was like he had no worries or cares in the world, everything was perfect, and when he felt her lean slightly into the kiss, his heart soared to unbelievable heights. He wanted so badly to deepen the kiss, show her the affection and love that he held for her, had always held for her, but that would be too much for her.

Though it nearly caused him physical pain to do so, he ended the kiss and whispered into her ear, which to his delight caused her to shiver again. Apparently his voice had some affect on her.

"Thank you for the cakes, and the break. I am sure I will enjoy one just as much as the other."

Sarah could only numbly nod her head, her eyes glazed over and her heart pounding in her ears.

"Good night, precious" he whispered to her before leaning back to admire his handy work.

"...Good..night, Jareth." she said softly, giving him one last smile before turning and leaving in the direction of her room.

Jareth watched her round the corner and out of sight before he backed into the room and shut the door. He would have escorted her back to her bedroom, but he couldn't quite trust himself after that kiss. His lips still tingled, and he had no doubt that hers did as well.

He grinned. She was beginning to see him as Jareth, the king of the goblins, and not Jareth, the enemy of babies everywhere. And if that kiss was any indication, she was seeing him as more than a mere friend, too.

He took a cake off of the plate and bit into it.

_"Mmmmmmmmm, sweet, just like my Sarah."_

_ AN: alright, so not much action, I know, but progress nonetheless! Hope it was still a good chapter :)_


End file.
